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FROM   THE   LIBRARY   OF 

REV.    LOUIS    FITZGERALD    BENSON.   D.  D. 

BEQUEATHED    BY    HIM    TO 

THE   LIBRARY   OF 

PRINCETON   THEOLOGICAL   SEMINARY 


c^. 


0 


,APR2el937  ^ 


Vv 


.^ 


A  HtiNDREB  YEARS 


OF 


M(JS1G  IN  Aaeriga. 


AN    ACCOrXT    OF 


flRdsiGAL  ErroRT  in  America 

During  the  past  century,  including  Popular  Music  and  Singing  Schools, 
Church    Music,    Musical    Conventions   and    Festivals,    Orchestral, 
Operatic  and  Oratorio  Music  ;  Improvements  in  Musical  Instru- 
ments ;    Popular   and    the   Higher   Musical    Education  : 
Creative  Activity,  and  the  Beginning  of  a  National 
School   of  Musical    Composition. 


A  Full  and  Rell\ble  oCmmarv  of  American  Musical  Effort  as  Displavkd 

IN  THE   Personal  History  of  Artists,  Composers  and  Educators, 
Musical  Inventors  and  Journalists,  with  Upwards  of  Two 
Hundred   Full  Page   Portraits  of   the   Most   Dis- 
tinguished   Workers,    together    with    His- 
torical AND  Biographical  Sketches 
of  Important   .ersonalities. 


/ 


\V.  S.  B.  Mathews,  Associate  Editor 


CHICAGO: 

G.  L.  HOWE,  PUBLISHER. 

1S89. 


Copyrighted  by 

G.  L.  HOWE. 

1889. 


ManufHcturcil 

I'.v 

W.  B.  COX  KEY. 

Chlciuro. 


INTRODUCTION 

iHE  present  work  undertakes  three  things.  First,  To  j^ive  an 
intelligible  and  fairly  complete  account  of  the  i)ersons,  organiza- 
tions and  influences  which  have  developed  this  country  to  its 
present  point  in  musical  knowledge  and  taste.     Second,  To  give 

a  good   general  idea  of  its  present  condition,  as  shown  in  its  leading 

Musical  Societies,  its  Leaders,  Composers,  Teachers,  Educational 
Institutions,  the  enormous  extension  of  the  Music  Trade,  and  the  manu- 
facture and  .sale  of  musical  instruments  of  all  kinds.  Third,  To  gather 
from  the  results  of  the.se  two  lines  of  investigation  a  fair  forecast  of  the 
future  of  American  music,  especiallj'  as  it  regards  the  likelihood  of  the 
creation  here  of  an  original  .school  of  American  Music. 

No  such  exhaustive  collection  of  material  for  the  musical  history  of 
this  country  has  ever  been  attempted  before.  We  have  availed  ourselves 
of  the  labors  of  previous  workers  in  the  same  field  wherever  possible, 
especially  of  those  of  Mr.  F.  O.  Jones'  .liiurha?i  J/usitiufis,  Dr.  F.  L. 
R. tier's  Music  in  America,  and  certain  articles  in  Mr.  John  \V.  Moore's 
Ilncyclopcdia.  All  of  these  together,  however,  were  wholly  insufficient 
for  our  purpose.  At  immense  expense  of  trouble  and  patience  we  have 
collected  from  the  persor.s  themselves,  or  their  immediate  representatives, 
biographical  particulars  and  professional  careers  of  more  than  five  hun- 
dred prominent  musicians,  composers,  teachers  and  educators.  The 
material  thus  furnished,  some  of  it  with  sitigular  reluctance,  considering 
the  quality  and  value  of  the  work  proposed  to  be  served  by  it.  we  have 
carefully  digested,  and  added  to  it  whatever  seemed  necessar>'  from  the 
personal  knowledge  of  the  editor. 

The  material  .so  gathered  has  been  digested  and  put  together  into 
the  book  now  in  the  reader's  hands,  in  a  typographical  form  which  cver>' 
person  can  estimate  for  himself.  Our  portrait  galler>'  is  very  large.  We 
give  no  less  than  two  hundred  and  forty  portraits  of  musicians  more  or 
less  prominent.     Among  them  it  is  easy  to  find  almost  any  out-  Innidrt-d 

iii 


and  fifty  names  likely  to  be  proposed  by  a  reader  acquainted  with  the 
personnel  of  the  musical  profession  of  the  country.  A  few  names  which 
ouglit  to  have  been  here  are  omitted.  Most  of  them  have  been  written 
to  according  to  the  most  promising  post-office  addresses  accessible  in  the 
office,  many  of  them  several  times.  In  some  cases  no  response  has  been 
received;  in  others  the  information  came  too  late  for  insertion.  In  many 
cases,  after  waiting  as  long  as  possible,  we  have  written  biographical 
sketches  of  persons  required  upon  historical  grounds,  from  the  best 
authorities  accessible,  rather  than  do  entirely  w-ithout  them.  If  inaccu- 
racies occur  in  these  accounts,  we  ought  not  to  be  held  blamable. 

We  are  confident  that  no  reader  will  rise  from  a  careful  examination 
of  this  book  unimpressed  by  the  richness  of  the  material  here  presented. 
It  sheds  a  new  light  upon  the  present  status  of  the  musical  profession  in 
this  country-,  and  shows  that  America  possesses  a  wealth  in  this  direction 
which  few,  even  among  musicians,  imagined.  In  the  line  of  original 
composition,  also  the  record,  although  not  complete,  is  reassuring.  The 
good  works  alreadj-  produced  give  promise  of  many  and  many  more  to 
follow.  The  appearance  of  composers  entirely  educated  in  America  is 
also  a  hopeful  feature,  especially  as  some  of  these  are  among  the  most 
promising  young  artists  we  have.  The  organization  of  the  American 
College  of  Musicians  affords  suitable  ideals  of  musical  graduation,  and 
an  examining  body  capable  of  administering  its  own  standards  impartially 
and  locally.  It  is  not  necessary  to  go  abroad  for  musical  education,  or 
for  contact  with  musical  minds  of  first-class  stimulative  power. 

The  particulars  given  concerning  the  music  trade,  manufacture  of 
instruments,  and  musical  invention  belong  to  the  category-  of  musical 
activity,  and  are  an  index  to  the  general  interest  taken  in  the  art  of 
music  by  the  purchasing  community.  ^ 


TA]3LK    OK    COXTENTS. 


Chapter  I.— Psaimody  from  1620  to  17S0.  page. 

People's  Debt  to  Psahnodists — Psalmody  Had  Its  Origin  with  the  Puri- 
tans— Various  Divines  on  the  Duty  of  Singing  Sacred  Son>;s — Hay 
Psalm  Book — Pirst  Music  Printed  in  Boston — Curious  Method  of 
Varying  Meters  from  Same  Printing — Reform  in  Psalmody  in 
ITliO— Objections  to  New  Way — First  Organ  Built  in  America — 
Urania — American  Harmony — Paul  Revere — Lining  the  Hymns 
Abolished 7-24 

Chaptkr  n— William  Billings,  to  1800. 

Billings  the  First  Original  Composer  and  Pioneer — New  England 
Psalm  Singer — Fugue  Tunes — Singing  Master's  Assistant — An- 
drew Law li>-29 

Chapter  III. — Opening  of  the  Nineteenth  Century. 

Reaction  against  Florid  Church  Music— Abijah  Forbush — Goel  Har- 
mon— Bridgewater  Collection — Columbian  Harmonist — Western 
Minstrel Vi-33 

Ch.\pter  IV. — Lowell  Mason,  Founder  of  National  Music. 

Need  of  a  Master  Spirit  to  Give  Direction — Thomas  Hastings — Boston 
Handel  and  Haydn  Collection — Geo.  James  Webb — Pestalozzian 
Principles — Woodbridge  —  Boston  Academy  of  Music — Music 
Introduced  in  the  Boston  Schools — Manual  of  the  Boston  .\cademy 
— Rise  of  Musical  Conventions — Religious  Sentiment  of  His  Work 
— Mason's  Counterpoint  as  Characterized  by  Hauptmann  —  Boston 
Academy  Collection  of  Choruses  —  Normal  Classes  —  Mason's 
Musical  Letters .'!4-44 

Chapter  V.— Career  of  Opera  to  1S40. 

Beggars  Opera— English  Opera  in  New  York— Messiah  in  1823— John 
Howard  Payne's  Clari— Garcia  anil  Malibran— Italian  Opera  in 
New  York— Mrs.  Austin — Horn's  A'cniiuisrrnces  oj  Sin — Satan  — 
Lorenzo  Da  Poute 4")-64 

Chapter  VI.  —  Progress  of  Oratorio  to  1840. 

Gottliel)  Graupner  in  Boston  in  17!i8— His  Philharmonic  Society — 
Oratorio  at  Kings  Chapel  in  Honor  of  General  Washington — Peace 
Jubilee  of  181o— Handel  and  Haydn  Society-  Presidents  of  the 
Handel  and  Haydn — New  York  in  Oratorio — Oratorio  Music  Cul- 
tivated in  Various  Parts  of  the  Country — Hastings'  Academy  of 
Sacred  Music 65-69 

Chapter  VII. — Two  Decades  preceding  the  War. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Ward — Seguin  Family  in  English  Opera — HavaniT 
Company  in  Italian  Opera — Sontag — New  York  ..Vcademy  of 
Music — Ole  Bull's  Prize  tor  a  New  Opera  on  an  Americati  Sutyect, 
in  IS-'i-'J- Pyne  and  Harrison  English  Opera— Fry's  Leonora— 
Opera  in  New  Orleans— Baltimore «M»-65 

Chapter  VH  I.— Period  of  the  War  Songs. 

True  American  Folk-Song — Dr.  Geo.  F.  Hoot,  Charles  Carroll  Saw- 
yer—H.  C.  Work— F.  Scott  Key— H.  L.  Schreiner  -A.  E.  Blackmer       tW  7S 

Chapter  IX.— New  Era  of  Art  Life  succeeding  the  War. 

Causes  Operating  to  Impart  Extraordinan,-  Vitality  to  This  Perio<l— 
Jenny  Lind— Thalberg— Rise  of  the  Thomas  Orchestra— War  as 
an  .\wakener  of  Mind — Conser\atories— New  Art  Centres 79  S3 


ChapTKR  X. — Psalmody  and  Popular  Music  after  the  War.  pagb. 

Increase  of  Gciieral  lutercst  in  Music — Wm.  B.  Bradbury — I.  B. 
\Voo<lbury— L.  O.  Knierson— H.  R.  Palmer— P.  P.  Bliss— H.  P. 
Main— Popular  Secular  Music— Stephen  C.  Foster— H.  P.  Danks — 
Will  S.  Hayes— Constance  F.  Runcie  -Chas.  D.  Blake— E.  S.  Mat- 
toon  J.  E.  Trowbridge-  A.  E.  Warren— T.  P.  Ryder— Maro  L. 
Bartlett 8-Hll 

Chapter  XI. — Piano  Playing  and  Pianists. 

Great  Pianists  as  Popular  Educators — Mason's  Recitals — Rubinstein — 
Von  Bulow — EssipofT  Teresa  Carrc-fio  Julie  Riv^-King — Rafael 
Joseffy  — Louis  Maas— Emil  Lieblinjj  -.\ugust  Hyllested — Carlyle 
Petersilea — Miss  Amy  I'aj-— Carl  Wolfsohn  — Fannie  Bloomfield- 
Zeisler  Charles  Wels — Constantin  Sternberg — Miss  Neally 
Stevens  A.  W.  Doerner  -  Ernst  Perabo-  Carl  Faelten  —  Otto 
Bendix — J.  D.  Buckingham — Epstein  Brothers 112-1G7 

Chapter  XII.— Concert  and  Operatic  Singers. 

Success  of  American  Singers  Abroad— Talent  for  Higher  Forms  of  Art 
— Necessity  of  a  National  School  of  Singing—  Clara  Louise  Kel- 
logg—Mme.  Albani  Ronconi  -L.  G.  Gottschalk— Helene  Has- 
treiter — Adelaide  Phillips—Anna  Louise  Gary — Minnie  Hauck — 
Adelina  Patti — L.  W.  Wheeler  Marie  Litta--Ella  Russell — Alice 
Ryan-  Julie  Rosewald  -Augusto  Rotoli — Emil  Agramonte — Pau- 
line L'.\llemand — Karl  F'ormes — Lillian  Norton  Gower — Lill- 
ian Russell— Myron  ^V.  Whitney — L.  A.  Phelps — Mrs.  Estelle 
Ford— Chas.  R.  Adams— Grace  Hiltz — Caroline  Ritchings  Bernard 
—  Marie  Van  Zandt  —  Emma  Thursby  —  Antoinette  Sterling — 
Zelie  De  Lussan — Hope  Glenn — Sybil  Sanderson — Emma  Ha3-den 
Eames — Emma  Juch — Emma  Abbott — ^Jessie  Bartlett- Davis — H. 
C.  Barnabee— Tom  Karl— The  Bostonians 168-233 

Ch.\pter  XIII. — Organists,  Liturgical  Music  and  Virtuosi  upon  Different 
Instruments. 
Scientific  Organ  Playing  Comparatively  New  in  America— Sketch  of  Its 
Rise — Geo.  Washbournc  Morgan — J.  H.  Wilcox — S.  P.  Warren — 
Clarence  Eddy^Geo.  E.  Whiting — Harrison  M.  Wild — Henry 
Dunham — Nathan  H.  Allen — Louis  Falk — I.  V.  Flagler — Rise  of 
Vested  Choirs — Personal  Reminiscences  of  Rev.  Canon  J.  H. 
Knowles  -H.  S.  Cutler— S.  B.  Whitney— Present  State  of  the  Vested 
Choir — H.  B.  Roney — The  St.  Cx-cilia  Society  of  America — Chev- 
alier Si  ugenberger — Popular  Interest  in  Violin  Plaving— Ole  Bull 
— S.  E.  Jacobsohn — Wm.  Lewis — Ovide  Musin — Timothie  Adam- 
owski  Thomas  Rvan— Anton  Sbrignadello — J.  M.  Deems — Heman 
Allen     Frederick  Hess— Josephine  Chatterton 236-305 

Chapter  XIV.— The  Great  Musical  Festivals. 

Four  Classcsof  Festivals— Handel  and  Haydn  Festivals — Gilmore  Peace 
Jubilees — Cincinnati  May  Festivals — Cincinnati  Opera  Festivals — 
Chicago  May  Festivals — Chicago  Opera  Festival — Chicago  Audito- 
rium   306-324 

Chai>TER  XV. — Musical  Instruments  and  the  Music  Trade. 

Early  Manufacture  of  Musical  Instruments  in  America — ^Jonas  Chick- 
ering— Steinway  &  Sons — New  Method  of  Stringing  Pianos— Or- 
gan Building — Wm.  A.  Johnson — Hilbourne  L.  Roosevelt — Reed 
Organs — Emmons  Hamlin — Poole's  Enharmonic  Organ — Henry 
Ward  Poole— \'iolin  Making— Geo.  Gemunder — ^J.  C.  Hendershot 
— C.  G.  Conn— Oliver  Ditson— John  C.  Haynes— P.  J.  Healy 325-358 

Chapter  XVI. — Literary  Factors  in  Musical  Progress. 

The  Uses  of  the  Literary  Element  in  Musical  Progress— Functions  of 
Criticism — Daily  Newspapers— H.  E.   Krehbiel — H.  T.  Finck — W. 


PAGE. 

A.  Apthrop— Geo.  P.  Upton — Musical  Journalism— ^J.  S.  DwiRht 
— H.  C.  Watson— W.  M.  Thoins— J.  Travis  yui},'g— F.  D.  Al)l>olt 
—J.  O.  V^on  Prochas/.ka— H.  H.  Smith— A.  G.  Emerich— Thco<lore 
Presser — VVm.  F.  Sherwin — ^John  S.  Van  Clcve — L.  C.  Elson — Karl 
Merz — W.  S.  B.  Mathews — Dexter  Smith— Jas.  R.  Murray — A.  J. 
Showalter S-'iO-JOO 

Chapter    XVI  I. ^Improvement  in  the  Popular  Standard  of  Performance, 
Especially  in  the  Department  of  Operatic  and  Orchestral  Works. 

Influnces  Entering  into  This  Movement — New  Vork  Philharmonic  So- 
ciety— Harvard  Musicial  Association — The  Boston  Symphony  Or- 
chestra— Tl'eodore  Thomas— H.  J.  Lang — Carl  Zerrahn — Oratorio 
Society  of  New  Vork — Dr.  Leopold  Damrosch — New  Vork  Sym- 
phony Society — Walter  Damrosch — F.  IL  Torrington— Wni.  L. 
Tomlins  —  .-Vdolphe  Rosenbecker — Olio  Singer — Metropolitan 
Opera  House 41(>-448 

Chapter  XVIII. — Institutions  for  the  Higher  Musical  Education. 

Remarkable  Progress  in  Musical  Education — New  England  Conserva- 
tory— Eben  Tourjee — Boston  University — Boston  Conservatory — 
Julius  Eichberg — The  New  Vork  Grand  Conservatory— Ernst 
Eberhard — New  Vork  College  of  Music — Alexander  Lambert — 
Metropolitan  Conser^■ato^y— H.  W.  Green- Chicago  Musical  Col- 
lege— F'loreuce  Ziegfeld — Mrs.  O.  L.  Fox — Chicago  Conservatorj- 
of  Music— Samuel  Kayzer — Wm.  H.  Sherwood — .\merican  Con- 
servatory of  Music-^J.  J.  Hattstaedt— Chicago  College  of  Vocal 
and  Instrumental  Art — A.  E.  RufT — Balatka's  Academy  of  Musical 
Art  -Hans  Balatka— College  of  Musif  of  Cincinnati  -  Geo.  Ward 
Nichols  -Reuben  Springer-  Cincinnati  Cotiservatory — Miss  Bauer 
— H.  G.  Andres— Cincinnati  Wesk-yan  College  W.  Waugh  Lau- 
der Oberlin  Conservatory  of  Music  Fenelon  li.  Rice  — Cleveland 
School  of  Music — Alfred  Arthur     Philadelphia  Academy  of  Music 

-  Richard  Zeckwer— Dana's  Musical  Institute  \V.  If.  Dana  - 
Northwestern  Conser%-atory  of  Music-  Chas.  II.  Morse — Detroit 
Conservatory  of  Music  -J.  PI.  Hahn— Cleveland  Conservatorj-- - 
Bassett  and  Heydler— Charles  S.   Brainard .'....  449-535 

Chapter  XIX. — Music  Teaching  as  a  Profession. 

Astonishing  Advance  in  the  Status  of  Professional  Musicians — Incomes 
of  Teachers  -Standard  of  Professional  yualificaiion — .American 
College  of  Musicians— E.  M.  Bowman — Robert  Bonner — Wm. 
Horatio  Clarke — Music  Teachers'  National  Association  .Mbert 
R.  Parsons— J.  C.  Fillmore— W.  F.  Heath— H.  S.  Perkins  Distin- 
guished Teachers— Mrs.  Clarence  Ediiy— Clara  E.  Munger  Klena 
Varesi-Mrs.  C.  I^I.  BrinkcrholT  F.  Jeannette  Hall-  A.  D.  Turner 
— F.  N.  Adams— F.  A.  Porter  -Santiago  Antillaga  Geo.  H.  Rowe 
John  Undemer— F.  W.  Root  W.  L.  Blumenschein  D.  C.  McAl- 
lister S.  N.  Penfield  C.  E.  Tinnev  Thco.  F.  Seward  Z.  M. 
Parvin— P.  Mueller-  H.  O.  I-anium     ':^I.  J.  Seifert— H.  Kelso     M 

A.  Gilsinn -Thos.  Martin  N.  Coe  Stewart— F.  J.  Campliell  Al- 
biijo  Gorno — Michael  Brand  — Louis  FTghott— B.  W.  Foley  Chas. 
H.  Brittan — H.  A.  Clarke— V.  Gar^vood  Carl  Lachmund  Mux 
Leckner— W.  H.  Donlev-  R.  A.  Heritage     Chas.    W.  Landon     C. 

B.  Cadv— C.  F.  Dennee-  J.  H.  Howe    J.  H.  Deems  -I".  C.  Mayer 

—  EmilMahr— J.  M.  Tracy-  Jno.  Jeffers- Geo.  Schneider 6a6-4J35 

Chapter  XX. — Composers  of  Salon  and  Chamber  Music. 

Louis  Moreau  Gottschalk— William  Mason  Chas.  C.  Perkins  J.  .\. 
Butterfield  Arthur  Foole  -Walter  I'etzet  Fredk  Brandeis  H<1- 
gar  S.  Kelley— Stephen  A.  Emery  Wm.  F.  Sudds  .\dolph  M. 
Foester  S.  B.  Mills  Johann  Beck— .Adolph  Ktx-lling -ReginaM 
de  Koven— W.  C.  Seeboeck 6aMJ71 

vii 


Chaiter  XXI.  — Dramatic,  Orchestral  and  Oratorio  Composers.  page. 

Wm  Hcnrv  Try  Inc.  Knowles  Paine  Dudley  Buck— C.  C.  Converse 
Dr  1-  L  Riltir  Silas  (',.  Pratt  l-rauk  Van  der  Stuckeu— Max 
Maret/.ck  -  (>eo.  W.  Chadwick  -  Ed.  Alex.  MacDowell -Prof.  J.  C.  ^ 


D.   Parker 

Chapter  XXII.— Supplementary   Directory   of  .\merican   Musicians,    and 
Index 


G72-702 


703-716 


LIST    OK    ILLUSTKAXIONS. 


r.VGE. 

Abbott,  Emma - '3" 

Ablxjtt,  l-rmuk  D 3'*5 

Adam*.  Ch.i».  R ~ 2f9 

Adams.  I-.    Norman 5^9 

AdamMw^ki.  Timothie ^93 

All>aiii    M.Ulc »75 

AKramontc.  Hmilio »<»5 

Allrn   Nathan  H « ^55 

Allen,  Hrman 3<" 

Allrn.  CluHter » 93 

Anilrcs.  Henry    G 599 

Apthorp.  Wra.  Foster- 3*9 

Arthur.  Alfred 5^3 

Arrillaga.  Santiago ^53 

Auilitoriiim  « 3^3 

Austin.    Mm 49 

Barnat>ce.  H.  C_ i.VS 

BasM-tt.   I" .V« 

Bartlctt.  Maro  L '°5 

Baur.  Mi»s  Clara 507 

Bcn.lix.  Otto  " 161 

Brck.  Joliann  H 663 

Blakc,  Chn«.  D _....i._ loS 

BlumcHMThrin,  W.  I, ~ S**' 

Bloom.  Jacob 5''9 

Bliw.  P.  V 93 

Bonnrr,  Robt 547 

Bowman.  K.  M 543 

Bradbury.  Wm.  B -    85 

Brand.    Michael 5o5 

Hrainard.  I  has.  S- —  353 

BmndcN.  I-rolk - 053 

Rrittan.  Chas.   H 6"5 

Brinkcrhiiff.   Clarm .S'-S 

Buck,  Dudley „ -  6S1 

Buckin){ham,  J.  D ~ '^5 

Hull,  Olc 285 

Hurritt.  Nelson  A. ~..- 573 

Ilutter6eld,  Jan.  A_ &49 

«n1y   C    B  6^1 

'  ■    "    HrancU  J - 601 

I.uisa 565 

-  '-  I.ouisr    -  185 

- H9 

MO 305 

- 3^9 

.1    .i..i»in> -  545 

.M9 

Chas.  r _ 685 

<  U...I     li.nry  Stephen  ~ ~  J7I 

I>aMirci*ch.  Dr.  I.ropold - -  4.U 

I>anir'>M-h.   Walter - 435 

Dnnk*.  Hart  I'eaac _ 99 

Dana    W     H  _ -  5»9 

D.ir'>n(«-    I.orrnio 53 

Dar     •     ' ^isto.  Aotoffrmpb  Poem- 54 

Da-  rtlett »J5 

Dr  M ~ J99 

l)r«i.,-    .,     ....ry 6»7 

DcKovcn.  Keginald - »7 


PAGE. 

DeLussan,  Zelie 225 

Denude  C'has.  F 623 

Uitson,  Oliver 355 

Docrncr.  Armin  W I55 

Donlev,  W    H 615 

Dunham,  Henry   M 253 

Dwiifht,  Ino.  Sullivan 375 

Kames,  Kmina  Hayden 225 

Kbcrhartl,  Ernst 47' 

Kddv.   Clarence 247 

Kddy,  Mrs.  Sara  Hershey 563 

Edwards,  Gertrude 229 

Kichberg,  Julius 467 

Klson,  Ix)UiB  C 397 

Emerick,  Albert  G 39' 

Eraerson,  Luther  0 89 

Emerj',  Stephen  A 6S5 

Epstein,  Marcus  I '67 

Epstein,  A,  1 167 

Erghott.  Louis 509 

Evans,  Fred  k  S 509 

Faelten.  Carl I59 

Falk,  Louis 259 

Fay,  Amy -  "39 

Famum,  H.  0 573 

Finck,  Henry  T 3*7 

Fillmore,  J.  C 557 

Flagk-r,  I.   V 261 

Folcv,  B.    W 505 

Foester,  Adolph  M 657 

Ford,  Mrs.  Estelle 219 

Formes,  Karl 209 

Foster,  Stephen  C 97 

Fox,  Orvin  L 631 

Fox,  Mrs,  O.  L 483 

Frv,  Wm.  Henry 673 

Garwood,  Victor 607 

Gemundcr,  Geo 349 

Gilmore,  P.  S S't 

Gilsinn,  M.  A 593 

Gleaion,  FredkGitinl 699 

Glenn.  Hoi)e 225 

Goldbeck,  Kobt 653 

Gorno,  Albino » 5°5 

Gottschalk.  L.  Cation 179 

Gottsthalk,  Louis  M 639 

Greene,  H.  W 477 

Hahn,  j.  H 533 

Hastreiter,  Helene 1S3 

Hauck.  Minnie 187 

Haynes,  J.  C 357 

Hattstacdt.  J.  J 49' 

Havs,  Will lot 

Heath,  W.  F 559 

Healy.  P.  J 339 

Hendershol,  J.  C 35» 

Heritage,  R.   A 6'7 

He»s.  Frederick. 303 

HcN-dlcr.  Chas 5.VS 

Hil'u,  Grace -        229 

riV 


PACE 

Hook,  Elias 343 

Howe,  Ja».  H 625 

Huntington,  Agnes 235 

Hy nested,  August 133 

Jacobsohn,  b.  E as? 

Jeflrers.  Jno 573 

Johnson,  Wni.  A 343 

Joseffy,   Kafael 125 

juch,  Kmnia 229 

Jung,  Rev.  J.  B 281 

Karl.  Thomas 235 

Kayzer,  Samuel 485 

Kclley,  I-Mnar  S 653 

Kellogg.  Clara  Louise 173 

Kelso,  Hugh  A 573 

Key,  F.  Scott 75 

King.  Julie  Riv6 123 

Kinsey.  J.  S \ 407 

Knowles.  J.  H 267 

Koelling,  A<lolph 665 

Krehbicl.  H.  E 365 

Lachmund,  Carl  V 611 

L'Alleniand.  I'auline 207 

I^ambert,  .\lex 473 

Landon,  Chas.  W 619 

Lang,  B.  J 427 

Lauder,  W.  Waugh 513 

Leckner,  Max 613 

Lewis,  VVm  289 

Liebling.  Emil 131 

Liszt,  tranz,  Lachmund  and  wife 609 

Litta,  Marie I95 

Lombard,  I.ouis 573 

Lowry,   Robt 93 

Maas,  Dr.  Louis 127 

MacDonald,  Mrs.  Marie  Ktone 235 

Magrath,  C.eorge 509 

Mahr,  l-;rail 447 

Maretzek.  Max 695 

Martin,  Thomas 595 

Mason.  \Vm §41 

Ma.son  Autograph X 

Mason.  Dr.  Lowell 37 

Main,  Hubert  P 93 

Mathews,  W.  S.  B 405 

Mattioli.  Lino 505 

Mattoon.  I'tdmund  S 105 

Mc.-MlistiT.  I).  C 583 

Merz,  Karl 401 

Mills,  Sebastian  B 659 

Morgan,  Geo.  W 239 

Morgan,  )Iand 307 

Morse.  Chas.  H 531 

Mueller,  Franz 591 

Mungcr.  Clara 565 

Murray,  J.  R 407 

Musin,  Ovide 289 

Neff,  Peter  Rudolph 503 

Nevada _ 221 

New  England  Conservatory 455 

Nichols,  C.eorge  Ward 499 

Oberliu  Conscrx-atory 515 

Faine,  John  Knowles. 677 

Payne.  John  Howard 47 

Palmer,  Horatio  R 91 

Parker.  Prof.  Jas.  C.  D Tor 

Parsons,  Albert  Ross 555 

Paton,  Miss 51 

Parvin,  Zimri  M 589 

Patti,  Adelina 189 

Peck.  Ferd.W 321 

Perabo,  F:rnst '. _  157 

Perkins,  Chas.  C 64.S 

Perkins,  H.  S 553 

Petersilea,  Carlyle 135 

Petzet,  Walter 653 

Phelps,  L.  A 217 

Poole,  Henry  Ward _  343 

Porter.  Fr.ink  A S71 

Powell,  Maud _  289 

Eratt,  Silas  G 669 


FACE. 

Pres.«er.  Theo 407 

Prochaszka,  J.  O.  Von 3S7 

yuigg.  J.  Travis 383 

Remcnyi.   I-^duard 289 

Rice.  Fenelon  B 519 

Riiter.  Dr.  F.  L 687 

Ronconi.  (iiovanni  B 177 

Roney.  H.  H 275 

Roseubecker.  Adolph 443 

RosewaUl.  Julie 201 

Rotoli.  Augu.sto 203 

Roosevelt,  Hilbourue  L .*. 337 

Root,  Dr.  Ceo.   F 69 

Root,  Fred  k  W 579 

Rowe,  Geo.   H 575 

Rudcrs»lorfr,  Mme 565 

Ruff.  Albert  F: 493 

Runcie,  Constance  F 103 

Russell,   F;ila 197 

Russell.  Lillian 213 

Rytlcr,  Thos.  P 109 

Ryan,   Alice 199 

Ryan,  Thomas 295 

Sanderson,  Sibyl 225 

Sawyer,  Chas.  Carroll 71 

Sbrignadello,  Anton 297 

Seeboeck.  W.  V.  E 671 

."Mrhneider,  Geo 505 

Schrciuer.  H.  L 77 

.*<cward.  Theo.  H 585 

Shcrwin,  Wm.  F 303 

Sherwood,  Wm.  H 489 

Showalter,  A.  J :. 409 

Singer.  Otto 445 

Smith.  Dexter 407 

Smith,  Harry  B 389 

Smith.  Wilson  G 661 

Singenberger.  Jno.  B 279 

Springer,  Reuben 501 

Steinway.  Henry,  Sr 333 

Stcinway,  Cf.  Th 333 

Steinway,  Wm 333 

Sterling,  Antoinette 225 

Sternberg.  Constantin 151 

Stevens.  Neally 153 

Stewart.  N.  Coc 597 

Sudds,  W.  F 407 

Thomas.   Theo 419 

Thorns.  Wm.  M 381 

Thursby.  Emma 223 

Tinney.  Chas.    E 587 

Tomlins,  Wm.  L 439 

Tourjfe,    Ftben 461 

Tracy,  J.  M 633 

Trowbridge.  J.   E 105 

Turner,  .\lfred  D 567 

Vpton.  George  P 373 

fudemer,  John 577 

Van  Cleve.  John    S 395 

Van  der  Stucken.   Frank 693 

Van  Zandt,  Marie 229 

Varesi,  Ftlena  565 

Warren.  A.   E 105 

Warren,  Samuel  P 243 

Watson,  Henry  C _  379 

Webb,  Geo.  J _    93 

Wels.  Charles. 149 

Wheeler.  Lyman  W _  191 

Whiting.  Geo.  K 249 

Whitney.  Myron  W 215 

Whitney.  Samuel  B _  273 

Wilcox.  John  Henry 741 

Wilhclraj.  Aug 289 

Wild,  Harrison  M _ 251 

Wilkins,  Herx-i  D 2.^7 

Wolfsohn.  Carl 143 

Work.  Henry  C 73 

Zeckwer.  Richard 525 

Zeisler,  F'nnnic  Bloomfield -  I47 

Zerrahn,  Carl _  431 

Ziegfeld,  Dr.  Florence 4$! 


^qi  ^ 


>;„TK. — This  auto^iraph  was  wntlen  by  Dr.  Masou,  on  his  cighticlh  birthday, 
upon  the  flvlcaf  of  the  "  Peslaloizian  Music  Teacher,"  in  possession  of  \V.  S.  B. 
Mathews,  of  Chicago. 


A   CENTrRV    OF    MUSIC    IX    AMERICA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Psalmody  from   1620  to  17S9. 

3'N  entering  upon  a  retrospect  of  the  musical  life  and  effort  of  Ara- 
^  erica  during  the  past  centur}-,  we  desire  briefly  to  advert  to  some 
■  .  V7^^  special  reasons  which  entitle  a  work  of  this  kind  to  an  honoralile 
,^,  j>-  place  upon  the  bookshelves  of  American  libraries.  As  is  sufficiently 
'^t  indicated  in  the  preceding  introductor>-,  it  is  not,  on  general  principles, 
,  just  to  the  labors  and  the  genius  of  the  present,  and  the  brief  past 
which  attaches  to  it,  that  posterit\-  should  enjoy  the  bountiful  fruit  of 
their  skill  and  industry,  without  opportunitj-  of  knowing  and  duly  honor- 
ing those  who  have  laid  well  the  broad  foundation  of  a  national  temple  of 
the  musical  art.  We  desire  more  especially  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
general  or  secular  reader  —  who,  though  alien  thereto,  recognizes  and  en- 
joys the  beauties  and  blessings  of  the  divine  realm  of  harmony  —  to  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  people's  debt  to  those  who  are  the  ministers,  the 
teachers  and  exemplars  of  music  and  song.  In  none  of  the  sciences,  arts 
and  industries  do  we  find  one  which  can  at  all  compare  with  music  in  the 
extent,  universality,  directness  or  beauty  of  the  beneficence  with  which  it 
dowers  the  human  family.  In  none  other  is  there  the  same  wide  and  un- 
restricted enjoyment,  free  and  priceless  to  all,  of  such  treasures  as  those 
with  which  melody  so  abundantly  enriches.  No  other  comes  so  near  to 
the  hearts,  the  homes  and  the  happiness  of  the  millions  as  this.  Nor  are 
there,  among  those  who  direct  those  other  instrumentalities  of  civilization, 
any  who  present  to  the  .ser\-ice  of  the  culture  and  the  refinement  of  their 
age  the  same  enthusiastic  devotion  to  their  art  for  art's  sake,  and  unselfish 
zeal  that  all  shall  be  embraced  in  the  light  and  radiance  of  its  l^eauty,  as 
we  find  among  the  priests  of  the  gospel  of  music.  The  nobility  of  their 
work,  its  all-per\-ading  power  for  elevation  and  refinement,  which  pene- 
trates and    illumines   the  humblest  cottage,    and    lends   majesty  to  the 


grandeur  of  tlie  noblest  cathedral;  its  mar\'elous  grasp  and  direction  ol 
the  highest  and  most  exalted  emotions  and  of  the  tenderest  and  holiest 
sentiments,  take  men  nearer  to  the  peace  and  happiness  of  heaven  than 
any  other  agency  at  the  direction  of  the  human  will.  Yet  what  other 
has  been  so  neglected  in  that  kind  of  honor  which  places  its  representa- 
tive men  in  enduring  eminence  upon  fame's  immortal  scroll  ?  The  law, 
the  pulpit  and  the  press,  invention  and  discovery,  philanthropy  and  hero- 
ism have  each  and  all  their  multiplied  biographers  and  historians.  The 
priests  of  music,  who  come  nearer  to  our  lives,  and  to  whom  our  grati- 
tude should  he  more  direct  and  devout,  are  alone  left  to  the  transient  and 
evanescent  reward  of  passing  praise.  To  what  more  eloquent  task  can 
type  —  which  is  our  modern  universal  tongue,  speaking  the  voice  of  the 
heart  and  intellect  of  the  age  —  l)e  placed,  than  to  that  of  rescuing 
these  from  ingratitude  and  forgetfulness,  and  giving  them,  both  for  the  pres- 
ent and  for  posterity,  enduring  place  and  honor?  And  what  more  fitting 
time  could  be  chosen  for  a  work  of  long-delayed  justice,  for  the  formu- 
lation and  promulgation  of  such  a  roll  of  honor  as  this  book  sets  forth, 
than  this  fertile  year  of  our  centennial  remembrances? 

In  order  to  an  adequate  understanding  and  appreciation  of  the 
work  of  musical  progress  for  the  past  centun,-  it  is  necessary  to  go  back  to 
the  elements  of  its  histor}-,  and  to  trace  the  first  feeble  efforts  of  its  hum- 
blest and  earliest  pioneers.  The  thoughtful  .student  will  be  thus  enabled 
to  comprehend  and  realize  the  truth,  that  the  musical  culture  of  America 
to-day  is  a  tree  of  native  growth;  that  it  first  struggled  through  the 
uncongenial  soil  of  the  earliest  settlements  of  New  England,  amid  the  most 
adverse  and  unsympathetic  conditions;  that  it  had  its  root  in  the  rude  and 
unskillful  efforts  of  the  psalmodists  of  the  Pilgrims;  that  it  grew  slowly 
through  the  painful  and  lalwrious  essays  of  the  Puritan  pioneers  in  sacred 
song,  gathering  strength,  accelerated  progress  and  new  resources  with  each 
onward  step,  until  it  gradually  entered  upon  the  new  conditions  which  led 
up  to  its  present  high  plane  of  art  endeavor  and  achievement,  and  univer- 
sal cultivation  and  diffusion.  It  has  bten  too  much  the  custom  of  writers 
upon  American  music  to  sneer  and  cavil  at  the  crudities  which,  as  visible 
to  our  more  enlightened  and  educated  perception,  characterize  the  work 
of  the  pioneers  of  American  music  and  .song,  and  even  in  our  later  days, 
to  refuse  with  blind  and  unjust  persistence  to  accord  to  the  genius  of 
American  effort  that  praise  and  credit  which  it  has  justly  earned,  while 
they  are  too  ready  with  even  fulsome  laudation  to  assign  to  sporadic 
adventurers  from  abroad  -  transient  seekers  after  the  advantages  of  lucre 
rather  than  the  advancement  of  art  —  that  credit  which  should  be  mainly 
if  not  altogether  awarded  to  native  effort  and  to  those  from  abroad  who 


have  become  Americanized  —  imbued  fully  wilh  American  pride,  aml>ition 
and  ideas  —  who,  while  giving  us  the  benefit  of  their  European  education, 
have  still  been  inspired  in  their  art  work  and  aims  by  the  invigorating 
genius  of  American  institutions.  These  we  include  in  all  our  allusions  to 
artists  as  "American,"  in  our  estimate  of  what  is  due  to  national  achieve- 
ment as  compared  with  that  which  is  essentially  and  unquestionablj'  for- 
eign. The  principle  of  justice,  as  well  as  an  imperative  requirement  of  a 
proper  and  intelligent  understanding  of  the  musical  career  of  our  country, 
demands  that  we  should  regard  all  those  earlier  efforts,  no  matter  how 
rude  and  unrefined  they  may  now  appear,  in  the  light  only  of  the  condi- 
tions in  which  they  were  in  their  day  evolved,  and  which  at  each  step  of 
advancement  surrounded,  limited  and  governed  the  exertions  of  those  who 
labored  in  the  field  of  musical  cultivation.  Thus  we  may  effect  the  con- 
trast between  present  and  past,  and  find  abundant  reason  to  rejoice  over 
the  marvelous  advancement  which  such  comparison  illustrates,  without 
disparagement  of  or  injustice  to  those  who  directed  the  feeble  and  uncertain 
steps  of  the  infanc}'  of  the  art  in  our  countrj-.  The  importance,  both  his- 
torically and  from  these  reasons,  of  this  earlier  history',  is  admirablj'  sug- 
gested by  the  following  extract  from  the  preface  of  George  Hood  to  his 
"History  of  Music  in  New  England,"  in  1S46.  He  says:  "All  things 
must  have  their  beginning,  and  this,  though  small,  is  important.  We 
know  that  our  music  was  mean;  but  as  we  hope  not  to  have  a  low  seat 
among  the  nations,  and  as  we  hope  in  the  future  to  have  a  history  of  the 
art  worth  preserving,  we  would  not  lose  the  past,  but  carefully  gather  it 
up  and  set  it  with  the  future,  that  the  contrast  may  appear  the  more 
bright  and  beautiful." 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  the  cultivation  of  the  most  refined  and  poetic 
of  the  arts  in  America  should  have  its  origin  with  the  stern  and  prosaic 
Pilgrims  and  Puritans  of  the  early  days.  And  yet  it  is  in  that  forbidding 
soil  that  we  have  to  recognize  the  root  of  American  musical  effort,  which 
has  to-day  grown  to  such  fair  and  noble  proportions.  True,  their  musical 
activity,  and  it  is  but  a  formula  of  words  to  call  it  such,  was  confined  to 
psalmody  alone,  and  it  was  directed  by  religious  rather  than  by  art 
impulses  ;  but  it  was  none  the  less  the  origin  from  which  we  have  to  trace 
the  musical  history'  of  our  country.  Indeed,  the  history  of  music  in 
America,  for  nearly  two  centuries  after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  is 
simply  the  story  of  psalmotly  in  its  various  periods. 

In  order  to  understand  the  low  condition  of  psalmody,  as  practiced 
in  the  germinating  period  to  which  we  refer,  we  must  go  back  to  the  events 
which  in  Europe  preceded  the  exodus  of  the  Pilgrims  and  the  later  emi- 
gration of  the  Puritans.      Metrical  psalmodj'  originated  with  the  Reforma- 


tion,  but  had  made  no  considerable  advance  in  England  up  to  the  time  of 
the  great  revolution  which  cost  Charles  I  his  head,  and  placed  the  govern- 
ment of  church  and  state  in  the  hands  of  the  Puritans.  These  latter,  in 
their  zeal  to  abolish  ' '  popish  practices, ' '  demolished  the  organs  and 
destroyed  the  music  in  the  churches;  drove  the  musicians  out  of  the  gal- 
leries at  bayonet's  point,  and  peremptorily  dissolved  all  organized  choirs. 
This  vandalrsm  in  the  name  of  pure  religion  was  most  thoroughly  carried 
out  in  the  rural  districts  of  England,  from  which  the  Puritan  settlers  of 
New  England  were  mainly  recruited,  and  thus  it  came  about  that  in  the  first 
days  of  our  colonization  their  church  music  consisted  of  the  crude  version 
of  the  psalter  made  bj'  Henr}-  Ainsworth,  of  Amsterdam,  or  that  of  Stem- 
hold  and  Hopkins.  All  effort  or  aspiration  toward  improvement  was 
paralyzed  by  a  creed  that  regarded  music  as  a  frivolous  trap  of  the  Evil 
One,  prepared  to  ensnare  the  souls  of  men;  and  even  such  sacred  music  as 
was  authorized  for  the  puqjose  of  worship  was  only  accepted  after  labored 
argument  by  the  ministers  that  the  singing  of  psalms  was  a  divine  insti- 
tution. Secular  music  of  all  kinds  was  sternly  interdicted  as  a  menace  to 
the  salvation  of  souls.  Such  were  the  conditions  that  obtained  in  New 
England  up  to  the  year  1640.  Just  previous  to  this  time,  a  growing 
realizat'on  of  the  barbarous  offenses  against  the  sense  of  harmony  which 
the  prevailing  system  of  psalmody  contained,  or  rather,  of  which  it  was 
wholly  composed,  led  to  the  appointment  of  a  committee  of  ministers, 
namely:  Rev.  Thos.  Weld,  Rev.  John  Eliot  and  Rev.  Richard  Mather,  to 
make  a  new  version  of  the  psalms  for  use  in  the  worship  of  praise.  The 
result  of  the  work  thus  set  on  foot  led  to  the  formulation  of  the  ' '  Baj- 
Psalm  Book,"  printed  and  published  in  1640,  being  the  second  book  ever 
printed  in  British  America.  This  version  had  a  second  edition  in  1647, 
and  a  third,  in  which  it  was  revised  and  greatly  refined,  by  Rev.  Henry 
Dunster  and  Richard  Lj'on,  in  1650.  The  Baj'  Psalm  Book  came  slowly 
into  use,  the  prejudice  against  it  as  an  unchristian,  or  at  least  unwarranted, 
innovation  being  difficult  of  eradication,  while,  as  the  old  version  had  come 
to  be  regarded  as  holy,  and  as  a  divine  and  luichangeable  ordinance,  the 
effort  to  supplant  it  was  regarded  by  many  as  sacrilegious.  In  1647  Rev. 
John  Cotton,  a  divine  who  had  been  a  Fellow  and  Tutor  in  Emanuel  Col- 
lege, Cambridge  Universitj',  where  he  was  noted  for  his  ability  and  learning, 
— of  whom  Palfrey  says:  "In  Boston  his  professional  labors  had  been 
of  an  astonishing  amount,  and  the  sanctity  and  mingled  force  and 
amiableness  of  his  character  had  won  for  him  a  vast  influence, " —  in  order 
to  prepare  the  way  for  the  more  general  use  of  the  improved  version  of 
the  Bay  Psalm  Book,  published  a  treatise  entitled  :  "Singing  of  Psalms 
as  a  Gospel  Ordinance."     In  this  he  said: 


"  Wee  lay  downe  this  conclusion  for  a  Doctrine  of  Truth.  That  singing  of 
Psalms  with  a  lively  voyce  is  an  holy  Duty  of  God's  worship  now  in  the  dayes  of  the 
New  Testament.  When  we  say,  singing  with  lively  voyce,  we  suppose  none  wnll  so  farre 
misconstrue  us  as  to  thinke  wee  exclude  singing  with  the  heart ;  for  God  is  a  Spirit : 
and  to  worship  him  with  the  voyce  without  the  spirit  were  hut  lip-labour,  which  (l)eing 
rested  in)  is  but  lost  labour  (Isa.  xxix.  l.i),  or  at  most  profiteth  but  little  (Tim.  iv.  8). 
But  this  wee  say.  As  wee  are  to  make  melody  in  our  hearts,  so  in  our  voyces  also. 
In  opposition  to  this  there  be  some  Anti-psalmists  who  doe  not  acknowledge  any  sing- 
ing at  all  with  the  voyce  in  the  New  Testament,  but  onely  spirituall  songs  of  joy  and 
comfort  of  the  heart  in  the  word  of  Christ." 

At  this  time,  and  for  many  years  after,  the  prejudice  of  the  Puritans 

against  secular  mtisic,  and  particularly  against  all  instruments  of  music, 

as  unchristian,  was  so  deeplj'  rooted  as  to  preclude  any  attempt  whatever 

in  this  direction,  but  in  this  treatise  we  find  in  John  Cotton  a  spirit  in 

advance  of  the  bigotry  of  his  time,  and  the  first  seed  sown  from  which 

sprung,  later  on,  the  first  real  musical  effort  of  America.    On  this  point  he 

wrote: 

"We  also  grant  that  any  private  Christian  who  hath  a  gifte  to  frame  a  spirituall 
song  may  both  frame  it  and  sing  it  privately  for  his  own  private  comfort  and  remem- 
brance of  some  speciall  benefit  or  deliverance.  Nor  doe  we  forbid  the  use  of  any  in- 
strument therewithall  :  so  that  attention  to  the  instrument  does  not  divert  the  heart 
from  attention  to  the  matter  of  song." 

Although  there  was  no  immediate  result  from  this  ( for  the  age ) 
broad-minded,  enlightened  and  liberal  pronouncement,  we  may  fairly 
assume  that  many  who  possessed  a  natural  appreciation  of  harmonj-,  and 
whose  instincts  urged  them  toward  refinement,  freely  accepted  these 
views  as  lifting  the  ban  from  musical  cultivation  in  private  life,  and 
doubtless,  though  we  have  no  record  to  establish  it,  many  took  advantage 
of  and  acted  upon  this  suggestion  of  Mr.  Cotton's  treatise. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  that  while  these  prejudices,  which  operated 
so  banefuUy  upon  the  interest  of  musical  progress,  were  not  at  first  shared 
by  the  Pilgrims  who  preceded  the  Puritans,  and  whose  continental  resi- 
dence had  given  them  greater  liberality,  as  well  as  a  culture  in  psalmody 
far  superior  to  that  of  the  English  Puritans,  the  adverse  conditions  which 
they  had  to  confront  in  the  days  of  their  early  settlement  drove  them  into 
retrogression  as  surely  and  fatallj-  as  did  the  bigotry  of  Puritan  prejudice 
in  their  case.  It  is  inferred  that  on  their  first  arrival  they  had  a  fair 
degree  of  the  musical  culture  of  their  day.  Winslow,  one  of  the  "  May- 
flower" company,  writes: 

"  We  refreshed  ourselves  with  singing  of  Psalms,  making  joyful  melody  in  our 
hearts,  as  well  as  with  the  voice,  there  being  many  of  our  congregation  very  expert  in 
music,  and,  indeed,  it  was  the  sweetest  music  that  mine  ears  ever  heard." 

The  hard  conditions  which  ensued,  the  loss  of  one-half  the  company 

in    the   dreadful    winter  of  162 1,    the   constant  struggle   for    the    bare 

maintenance  of  life  for  some  years,  the  absence  of  printed  music,  and  the 

loss  of  the  skill  in  singing  which  the  fathers  brought  over,  soon  relegated 


to  oblivion  all  traces  of  the  better  knowledge  of  psalmody.  Hence  they 
were  in  a  short  time,  by  dire  necessities,  driven  to  the  same  plane  with  re- 
gard to  music  as  that  occupied  by  the  Puritans  from  choice  and  prejudice. 
In  1661  Rev.  John  Eliot  translated  the  psalms  into  Indian  verse,  en- 
titled : 

Wanie  Ketoohomse  Uketoohomaongash. 

The  following  specimen,  which  we  extract  from  Hood's  "  History  of 
Music  in  New  England,"  is  given  as  a  musical  fact  of  more  curious  than 
important  interest : 

A    PSAI.M   OF   DAVID. 

(Psalm  cxviii.) 

Waeenomok  Maniz  wame 

wutohhmoneunk 
Waeeuomokkenaau  ■wame 

miffiuninnuog  wouk 

Ummonaneteaonk  miflS 

en  kuhhogkanonut 
Wunnomwaonk  God  michemohten 

wateiioinook  Maniz. 

The  progress  of  the  Bay  Psalm  Book  in  the  favor  of  the  churches  was 
slow.  It  was  onl}'  in  1667  that  it  was  used  in  the  churches  of  Salem  and 
Ipswich,  and  it  was  1682  before  it  was  adopted  by  Plymouth.  From  1640 
for  fifty  years  little  was  done  to  advance  the  cause  of  music.  The  Bay 
Psalm  Book  was  the  only  work  used  in  the  churches  of  New  England, 
and  it  passed  through  some  thirty  editions,  the  last  of  which  was  printed 
in  Boston  in  1744. 

The  first  music  was  printed  in  Boston  in  1690,  when  the  great  scar- 
city of  tunes  for  use  in  the  churches  led  to  the  printing  of  appended  music. 
The  earliest  specimen  extant  was  printed  in  1698  at  Boston.  This  was 
very  crude  and  full  of  errors,  which  in  our  day  seem  ridiculous  even  to 
the  tyro.  The  music  was  without  bars,  except  to  divide  the  lines.  Under 
each  note  was  placed  the  initial  of  a  syllable  denoting  the  tone  to  be  ap- 
plied in  singing  by  note,  with  other  directions  for  singing.  The  tunes 
for  singing  embraced  in  it  are  exceedingly  limited,  and  comprised  the  fol- 
lowing, which  is  the  full  list :  "  Litchfield,"  "  Low  Dutch  "  or  "Canter- 
bury-," "York,"  "Windsor,"  "Cambridge,"  "  St.  David's,"  "Martyrs," 
"Hackney"  or  "St.  Marj-'s,"  and  the  looth,  115th,  119th  and  i.|8th 
psalm  tunes.  The  tunes  are  printed  in  two  parts  onlj-,  and  are  ac- 
companied by 

Some  Few  Directions 

for  ordering  the  voice  in  setting  these  following  tunes  of  the  Psalms  : 

"  First,  Obsers-e  how  many  notes  compass  the  tune  is.  Next,  the  place  of  your 
first  note  ;  and  how  many  notes  above  and  below  that ;  so  as  you  may  begin  the  tune 
of  your  first  note,  as  the  rest  may  be  sung  in  the  compass  of  your  and  the  people's 


voices  without  squeaking  above  or  grumblinj^  below.      I'or  the  heller  uiidersiandiiin 

of  which  take  nolice  of  these  foUowiiiR  (lireclious. 

"Of  the  eight  short  lunes  used  to  four  lines  only,  whose  measure  is  to  eight 

syllables  on  the  first  line,  and  six  on  the  next,  and  may  be  sung  to  any  Psalm  of  that 

measure. 

Oxford  Tune  )  ~,„  „  „i,„  . 

,  ..   ,  ^  ,  ,  ,,.  To  Psalms 

Lilchhcld  1  une  >,>„.,,  i  ,,  ,.. 
r  ,,...,<  1  LonsoUitory. 
Low  Dutch  luue  )  -' 

York  Tune  1  To  Psalms  of  Prayer 

Windsor  Tune       !  Confession  and  I'unerals. 

"Cambridge  Short  Tunes  to  peculiar  Psas.— as  21,  '2-i,  33,  70,  H>>  first  metre, 

114,  i.:l'. 

"These  six  short  tunes  in  the  tuning  the  first  note,  will  bear  a  cheerful  high 
pitch  in  regard  to  their  whole  compass  from  the  lowest  note  ;  the  highest  is  not  above 
five  or  si.x  notes. 

St.  David's  Tune  t  To  Psalms  of  Praise 
Martyr's  Tune       )      and  Thanksgiving. 

"These  two  tunes  are  tight  notes  compass  above  the  first  note,  and  therefore 
begin  the  first  note  low. 

"Of  the  five  long  lunes  following  : 

"Hackney  Tune  -lli»  Psa.  Tune,  second  Meti-e.— These  two  tunes  begin  your 
first  note  low,  for  the  compass  is  nine  notes,  and  eight  above  the  first  note  of  the  tune. 

"  100  Psa.  Tune.— This  one  tune  begin  your  note  indifferent  high,  in  regard  you 
are  to  fall  four  notes  lower  than  your  first  pitch  note. 

"  11')  Psa.  Tune  and  MS  Psa.  Tune. — These  two  tunes  1)egin  your  first  note  low, 
in  regard  the  tune  ascends  eight  notes  above  it." 

This  will  fairly  indicate  the  extent  and  nature  of  musical  knowledge 
at  this  period.  They  had  no  instruments  to  ser\'e  as  a  guide  to  time  or 
modulation.  There  is  nothing  in  the  letters  which  constituted  the  musical 
notation  to  indicate  any  knowledge  of  the  degree  of  pitch.  Yet  they 
were  undoubtedly  the  best  instructions  that  could  be  given  by  the  most 
proficient  in  such  musical  knowledge  as  was  at  that  time  available.  In 
1693  the  Sternhold  and  Hopkins  version  was  still  in  use,  and,  indeed, 
though  never  a  general  favorite,  continued  to  be  used  in  some  churches 
till  the  time  of  the  Revolution.  This  version,  though  it  lacked  adecjuate 
conformity  to  the  original  to  make  it  a  faithful  rendering,  was  still,  as 
correctly  estimated  by  Hood,  superior  to  either  the  New  England  version 
(Bay  Psalm  BookJ  or  Ain.sworth,  in  smoothness  and  rhythm. 

After  entering  upon  the  eighteenth  century,  there  is  visible,  a  per- 
ceptible restlessness  and  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  the  more  educated 
classes  witli  the  existing  order  of  musical  affairs;  and  yet  its  fruition  was 
a  slow  and  laborious  work.  In  17 12  Rev.  Mr.  Tufts,  pastor  of  Newbury, 
published  the  first  practical  musical  instruction  book  printed  in  America. 
It  was  entitled:  "A  ver>-  plain  and  easy  Introduction  to  the  Art  of 
Singing  Psalm  Tunes :  With  the  Cantus  or  Trebles  of  Twenty-eight 
Psalm  Tunes,  contrived  in  such  a  maimer,  as  that  the  leanicr  may  attain 
the  skill  of  singing  them  with  the  greatest  ease  and  sp>eed  imaginable. 
By  Rev.  John  Tufts.     Price  6d,  or  5s  the  duz." 

In  1 7 14  (we  accept  the  date  assigned  by  HockI;  Mr.  Tufts  published 


a  second  hook,  wliicli  iLachcd  its  i  illi  edition  in  1744,  wliich  v/as  entitled  : 
"An  Introduction  to  the  Singing  of  Psahii  Tunes  in  a  Plain  and  Easy 
Method,  with  a  Collection  of  Tunes  in  three  Parts."  This  was  designed 
to  he  h()un<l  with  the  Bay  Psalm  Book.  The  music  was  written  in  three 
parts  only,  and  was  purely  choral  —  the  only  style  at  that  daj-  used.  Out 
of  thirty-seven  tunes  all  hut  one  were  in  the  common  metre.  In  17 18 
Dr.  Cotton  Mather  puhlished  his  "  Psalterium  Americanum,"  described  hi 
the  title  page  as  "  The  Book  of  Psalms  in  a  translation  exactly-  conformed 
unto  the  original  ;  but  all  in  blank  ver.se.  P'itted  unto  the  tunes  commonly 
used  in  the  Church."  Each  psalm  is  accompanied  by  illustrations,  a 
stated,  "To  assist  the  reader  in  coming  at  the  vast  Profit  and  Pleasure 
which  is  to  be  found  in  this  rare  part  of  the  Christian  Ascclicks  ever}' 
PsAi-M  is  here  satellited  with  Illustration.s,  which  are  not  fetched  from 
the  I'ldi^ar  Annotations  (whereof,  still,  Reader,  continue  thy  esteem  and 
\\\y  improvement).  But  are  the  more  Fine,  Deep  and  Uncovimon 
T/ioiiohts,  which,  in  the  course  of  long  Reading  and  Thinking,  have  been 
brought  in  the  way  of  the  Collection.  They  are  the  Golden  Ke\s  to  Im- 
men.se  Treasures  of  Truths 

In  the  introduction  to  tliis  l)ook  the  author  says:  "For  \.\\it  New 
Translation  of  the  P.s.\LMS,  which  is  here  endeavored,  an  Appeal  may  be 
with  nuich  assurance  made,  unto  all  that  are  masters  of  the  Hkijrew 
Tongue,  whether  it  be  not  much  more  agreeable  to  the  Original  than  the 
Old  one,  or  to  any  that  has  yet  been  offered  unto  the  World.  It  keeps 
close  to  the  Original,  and,  even  when  a  word  of  supply  is  introduced,  it  is 
usually  a  needless  compliment  unto  the  care  of  correctness  to  distinguish 
it,  as  we  have  done  with  an  Italic-Character,  for  it  is  really  the  intention 
and  emphasis  of  the  Original.  Yea,  the  just  Laws  of  Translation  had 
not  been  at  all  violated,  if  a  much  greater  Liberty  had  been  taken,  for  the 
beating  out  of  the  Golden  and  Massy  Hebretv  into  a  more  extended  Eng- 
lish r 

In  connnon  with  nearly  all  the  metrical  compositions  of  that  day  this 
work  was  arranged  in  common  metre,  alternate  lines  of  eight  and  six 
syllables.  In  .some  few  instajices  long  metre  was  used,  and  this  was 
provided  for  by  the  interjection  of  two  additional  syllables  in  the  second 
and  fourth  lines,  ///  black  letters,  so  that  they  could  be  sung  without  alter- 
ing; the  sense,  and  thus  giving  the  option  of  long  or  common  metre  tunes 
as  might  be  preferred.  An  example  of  this  is  given  in  the  following 
po.  tion  of  the  i  iTith  jisalm. 

Ps.\L.M  c.wi. 

1.  I'm  full  or  love:  It  is  because  i;  [Of  tblfl]  that  the  KTERN'.\L  God  |l  hath 
hearkened  now  unto  jny  voice  ;  \-  [an&  bStb]  "ly  supplications  heard. 


2.  Because  that  he  hath  unto  me  i  [htuMg]  iiu-lined  his  gracious  ear;  | 
therefore  u])on  him  I  will  call  |i  while  I  have  any  days  [of  lite]. 

8.  The  cords  of  Death  surrounded  me  I'  and  me  the  [CtrcaOful]  pains  of  Hell  || 
found  out;  a  sad  anxiety  |1  I  found  and  sighing  [Ijcavipl  ^Tief 

4.  lUit  I  did  call  upon  the  Name  ||  of  the  I'.TERNAL  Cod  [for  tbl0]  ;  1|  I  pray 
thee.  O  ETERNAL  God,   !|   Deliver  now  my  [gillhlUfi]  soul. 

5.  Most  full  of  tender  clemency  [fOtCVCr]  is  th'  ETERNAL  God;  |;  Righteous 
is  he  too :  and  our  God  |l  is  most  compassionate  [wltbal- ) 

().  The  simple  ones  th'  ETERNAL  God  |,  cakes  into  [blS  klllO]  custody;  ||  I 
was  hronght  miserably  low,  ||  and  then  [it  Was]  Go<l  helped  me. 

7.  ()  now  mv  vSoul,  do  thou  return  |l  where  lis  [abovc]  thou  findest  rest;  f| 
Because  that  the  ETERNAL  God  ||  hath  well  [cllOUClb]  rewarded  thee. 

H.  Because  thou  has  from  thn-atenitti^  death  ,  [safclgj  delivered  my  soul  ;  || 
my  eye  from  tear  ;  my  foot  from  fall  |1  by  a  thrust  given  [Ulltol  me. 

This  work  was  divided  into  five  parts,  the  first  extending  to  tlie 
fortj-second  i)salni  ;  the  second  to  the  seventy-third  ;  the  third  to  the 
ninetieth  ;  the  ft)urth  to  tlie  one  hundred  and  seventh;  and  the  fifth  to  the 
end.  It  was  in  noble  contrast  to  the  absurdities  tiiat  characterized  other 
versions,  and  jet  it  does  not  appear  ever  to  have  been  used,  owing  no 
doubt  in  part  to  the  fact  of  its  being  written  in  blank  verse,  and  partly 
because  the  work  had  no  music  appended  to  it. 

Shortly  previous  to  the  year  1720,  it  seems  to  be  evident  that  the 
majority  of  the  ministers  had  become  convinced  of  the  desirability,  both 
arising  from  an  appreciation  of  proprietj'  in  musical  worship,  and  regard 
for  its  highest  value,  of  a  reform  in  the  method,  or  want  of  method,  in  the 
singing  of  psalms  in  the  church.  Militating  against  this  spirit  was  an  oli.sti- 
nate  and  bigoted  resistance  on  the  part  of  the  congregations  to  all  inno- 
vation upon  the  old  traditional  way.  To  combat  the.se  objections  the  more 
learned  and  liberally  enlightened  divines,  actuated  by  a  desire  for  orderly 
and  seemly  song-worship,  and  urged  by  a  natural  and  innate  artistic  sensi- 
bility, published  many  ingenious  treatises  to  prove  that  the  better  way  was 
authorized  by  divine  injunction  and  sanctioned  by  the  most  ancient  prac- 
tice. For  a  long  period  it  seemed  that  the  more  rea.sonable  and  convincing 
the  "arguments"  ofTered  by  the  clergy,  the  more  bitter,  bigoted  and 
unreasoning  Ix-came  the  "objections"  of  those  who  opposed  the  reform. 
Among  the  writers  of  essays  in  behalf  of  the  "  new  method  "  (/.  <•.,  that 
introduced  by  Messrs.  Tufts  and  Walter)  may  l)e  mentioned  the  Revs. 
Symmes,  Kliot,  Edwards,  Mather,  Wise  and  Walter,  whose  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  improved  music  endured  till  it  ultimatel}-  was  rewarded  with 
success.  The  manner  in  which  objections  were  fonnulated  may  be 
gathered  from  the  following  propositions  in  "Cases  of  Conscience,"  a 
pamphlet  published  by  a  ntiml)er  of  clergymen  in  1723,  and  which  was 
designed  to  satisfy  and  remove  the  scruples  of  those  who  were  con.scien- 
tiouslj'  opposed  to  the  musical  reform.  The  following  are  selected  from 
the  propo.sitions  : 


"  Whcllier  do  you  believe  that  singing  Psalms,  Hymns  and  Sacred  Songs  is  an 
external  part  of  Divine  Worship,  to  be  observed  in  and  by  the  assembly  of  God's 
peojjlc  on  the  Lord's  Day  as  well  as  on  other  occasional  meetings  of  the  Saints,  for 
the  worshipping  of  God  ? 

"  Whether  do  you  believe  that  singing  in  the  worship  of  God  ought  to  be  done 
skillfully? 

"  Whether  do  you  believe  that  skillfulness  in  singing  maj*  ordinarily  be  gained 
by  the  use  of  outward  means  by  the  blessing  of  God  ? 

"  Is  it  possible  for  fathers  of  forty  years  old  and  upwards  to  learn  to  sing  by  rule. 
And  ought  they  at  this  age  to  attempt  to  learn  ? 

"  Do  you  believe  that  it  is  lawful  and  laudable  for  us  to  change  the  customary 
way  of  singing  the  Psalms? 

"Whether  those  who  purposely  sing  a  tune  different  from  that  which  is 
appointed  by  the  pastor,  or  elder,  to  be  sung,  are  not  guilty  of  acting  disorderly,  and 
of  taking  God's  name  in  vain  also,  by  disturbing  the  order  of  the  sanctuary?" 

Doubtless  the  real  grievance  of  the  objectors  arose  from  the  fact  that 
those  of  ' '  forty  jears  and  upward  ' '  were  to  a  large  extent  debarred  by  the 
new  way  from  participating  in  the  worship  of  praise,  and  thus  considered 
the  reform  as  a  proposal  to  shut  them  out  from  one  of  the  ordinances  of 
worship.  Then,  excuses  were  formulated  of  more  serious  nattire,  on  the 
surface,  and  these  are  given  lucidly  by  Rev.  Thomas  Symmes,  as  follows  : 

"  1.     That  it  is  a  ticw  7i'a\',  an  unknoicn  tongue, 

"2.     That  it  is  not  so  melodious  as  the  usual  jvay. 

"3.     That  there  are  too  many  tuiies.     We  shall  never  have  done  learning. 

"4.  That  the  practice  of  \{  gives  disturbance;  rails  and  exasperates  men's 
spirits  ;  grieves  sundry  people,  and  causes  them  to  behave  themselves  indecently  and 
disorderly. 

"5.     That  it  is  Quakerish  and  Popish,  and  introductive  o{  instrumental  music. 

"6.     That  the  names  g'ven  to  the  notes  are  bawdy,  yea  blasphemous. 

"  7.  That  it  is  a  needless  way,  since  the  good  Fathers  that  were  strangers  to  it 
are  got  to  heaven  without  it." 

Again,  objections  were  made  against  the  persons  who  were  the  pro- 
moters, admirers  and  practitioners  of  this  "new  way,"  and  these  are 
summed  up  by  Mr.  Symmes,  under  these  headings  : 

1.  It  is  said  to  be  a  contrii'ance  to  get  tnoney. 

2.  They  spend  too  much  time  about  learning.  They  tarry  out  a  nights  disor- 
derly, and  family  religion  is  neglected  by  the  means. 

3.  They  are  a  company  of  young  upstarts  that  fall  in  this  way  and  set  it  for- 
ward, and  some  of  them  are  lewd  and  loose  persons. 

This  gives  us  a  clear  insight  into  the  nature  of  the  opposition  to  the 

reform,  and  also  a  comprehension  of  the  seriousness  of  these  objections  to 

the  older  members  of  the  congregations.     Mr.  Symmes  combats  these 

objections  in  an  able  and  convincing  wa>-,  shrewdly  taking  the  ground 

best  calculated  to  appeal  to  tho.se  advocates  of  the  "old  method,"  that 

"  what  is  now  called  the  usual  xcay,  in  opposition  to  singing  by  note,  is 

but  a  defective  imitation  of  the  rei^ular  xuay.''''     He  says  :     "Your  usual 

way  of  singing  is  but  of  yesterday,  an  upstart  novelty,  a  deviation  from 

the  regular,  which  is  the  only  scriptural  good  old  waj-  of  singing  :  much 

older  than  our  fathers,  or  our  fathers'  grandfathers.     The  beauty  and 

harmony  of  singing  consists  very  much  in  a  just  timing  and  tuning  the 


notes  ;  every  singer  keeping  the  exact  i)itcli  the  tune  is  set  in,  according 
to  the  part  he  sings.  Now  you  may  remember  that  in  our  congregation 
we  used  frecjuently  to  have  some  people  singing  a  note  or  two  after  the 
rest  liad  done,  and  you  commonly  strike  the  notes,  not  together,  but  one 
after  another,  one  being  half  way  through  the  second  iu)te  Ijefore  his 
neighbor  has  done  with  the  first."  One  of  the  most  effective  and  impor- 
tant of  these  publications  was  that  by  Rev.  John  Kliot,  which  is  descril)ed 
on  the  title  page  as  "A  Brief  Discourse  Concerning  Regular  Singing, 
Shewing  from  the  Scriptures  the  Necessity  and  Incumbency  Thereof  in 
the  Worship  of  God.  Boston,  N.  England.  Printed  by  B.  Green,  Jun., 
for  John  ICliot,  at  his  shop  at  the  South  Knd  of  the  Town,  1725."  From 
this  admirable  discourse,  written  in  the  most  persuasive,  pacificator)-,  con- 
ciliatory and  convincing  manner,  we  feel  constrained  to  extract  the  fol- 
lowing: 

"That  iiiusick,  which  in  itself  is  concord,  hannony,  nu-lody,  sweetness,  charui- 
in^  even  to  irrational  creatures  ;  ciieers  the  spirits  of  men,  and  tends  to  raise  them  in 
devotion,  and  in  the  praises  of  God,  and  was  instituted  by  God  as  a  means  of  ilivine  wor- 
ship, wliich  is  a  terror  to  evil  spirits,  the  delight  of  holy  Angels,  and  will  be  everlast- 
ing employment  of  these  Seraphim  and  the  glorified  Saints  should  be  an  occasion 
of  strife,  clebate,  discord,  contention,  ([uarreling  and  all  manner  of  disorder;  that 
men,  the  only  creatures  in  the  lower  creation  that  are  accom])lishcd  with  reason  and 
apt  organs  to  praise  God  should  improve  them  so  to  dishonour  him  ;  and  that  in- 
stead of  an  angelick  temper  in  man,  which  they  are  capable  of,  and  is  required  of 
them,  and  especially  in  this  matter  ;  there  should  be  a  cynick  disposition  and  an  im- 
provement of  such  noble  organ  to  bark,  snarl  at,  atid  bite  one  another ;  that  instead 
of  one  heart  and  one  voice  in  the  praises  of  our  Cilorious  Creator  and  most  bountiful 
Benefactor ;  there  should  be  only  wrangle,  discord  and  sluring  and  reviling  one 
another,  etc.     This  is  and  shall  be  a  lamentation." 

From  the  essay  of  Rev.  Mr.  Symmcs,  in  1723,  in  which  the  objectors 
to  improvement  in  the  method  of  singing,  complain  that  the  music  re- 
formers "spend  too  much  time  in  learning,  they  tarrj- out  a  nights  dis- 
orderl3%"  it  may  be  inferred  that  singing  classes  had  at  that  time  been 
esta])lished,  and  the  probable  date  of  their  first  formation  may  Ixi  taken  to 
be  1720.  Rev.  Thomas  Symmes  proved  himself  an  earnest  advocate  of 
singing  schools.  From  a  paper  of  his  on  this  subject,  we  take  the  follow- 
ing : 

"Would  it  not  greatly  tend  to  promote  singing  of  psalms  if  singing  schools 
were  promote<i  ?  Would  not  this  be  conforming  to  the  scripture  pattern f  Have  %vc 
not  as  much  need  of  them  as  God's  people  of  old  ?  Have  we  any  reason  to  expect  to 
be  inspired  with  the  gift  of  singing,  any  more  than  of  reading'  Or  to  attain  it  with- 
out suitable  means,  any  more  than  they  of  old,  when  viirades.  impirations,,  etc., 
were  common  ?  Where  would  be  the  difficulty  or  what  the  disadvantage,  if  people  who 
■want  skill  in  singing  would  procure  a  skillful  person  to  instruct  them,  .Ttul  meet  two 
or  three  evenings  in  the  week,  from  five  or  sir  to  eig;ht,  and  spend  the  time  in  learn- 
ing to  sing?  »  *  »  V\'o\x\iX '\\.  not  he  \>Towr  (or  school  tnasten '\n  country  piiriihes 
to  teach  their  scholars:'  *  *  *  Would  it  not  be  very  servisible  in  ministers  to 
encourage  their  people  to  learn  to  sing?  .\re  they  not  under  some  obligation  by 
virtue  of  their  office  to  do  so  ?  " 

The  means  at  tlie  coinmand  of  the  singing  master  of  that  day  were 


not  only  limited,  but  of  ver>'  meagre  and  unsatisfactory  character.  In 
addition  to  the  hooks  of  Rev.  Mr.  Tufts,  to  which  reference  has  been 
made,  they  had  a  new  singing  book  in  1721,  by  Rev.  Thomas  Walter,  of 
Roxbur>',  Mass.,  entitled  :  "The  Grounds  of  Music  Explained.  Or  an 
Introduction  to  the  Art  of  Singing  by  Note,  Fitted  to  the  Meanest  Capac- 
ity." This  was  the  first  music  printed  with  bars  in  America,  and  was 
probably  adapted  from  Playford's  "  Breefe  Introduction  to  the  Skill  of 
Musick  "  (1654),  and  "  Whole  Booke  of  Psalms  "  (1677),  publi.shed  .some 
fifty  years  previousl}'  in  England.  Walter,  in  his  introduction  to  his 
' '  Brief  and  very  plain  Instructions  for  Singing  by  Note, ' '  says  : 

"  Musick  is  the  art  of  Modulating  Sounds,  either  with  the  Voice,  or  with  an 
Instrument,  and  as  there  are  Rules  for  the  Management  of  an  instrument,  so  there 
are  no  less  for  the  ordering  of  the  Voice.  And  the  nature  itself  suggests  unto  us  a 
Notion  of  Harmony,  and  many  Men,  without  any  other  Tutor,  may  be  able  to  strike 
upon  a  few  Notes  —  tolerably  tuneful  ;  yet  this  bears  no  more  Proportion  to  a  Tune 
than  the  vulgar  Hedge  Notes  of  every  Rustic  does  to  the  Harp  of  David.  *  *  * 
Singing  is  reducible  to  the  Rules  of  Art ;  and  he  who  has  made  himself  Master  of  a 
few  of  these  Rules  is  able  at  first  Sight  to  sing  Hundreds  of  New  Tunes,  which  he 
never  saw  or  heard  before  ;  and  this  by  the  bare  inspection  of  tlie  Notes  without 
hearing  them  from  the  mouth  of  the  Singer." 

The  following,  the  first  rule  of  these  instructions,  will  give  an  idea 

of  the  quality  of  the  degree  of  acquaintance  with  the  science  of  mtisic 

with  which  this  apostle  of  harmony  was  endowed  : 

"There  are  in  Nature  but  seven  distinct  sounds,  every  Kighth  Note  being  the 
same.  Thus  when  a  tune  is  sung  liy  another  upon  a  key  too  low  for  the  Compass  of 
my  Voice,  if  I  will  sing  with  the  person,  it  must  be  all  the  Way,  eighth  notes  above 
him.  I  naturally  sound  an  Eighth  higher.  So  a  Woman  naturally  sounds  eighth 
Notes  above  the  grum  and  low  sounding  Voice  of  a  Man,  and  it  makes  no  more 
difference  the  singing  of  two  Persons  upon  an  Union  or  a  Pitch.  So,  on  the  con- 
trary, when  we  sing  with  a  Voice  too  high  and  shrill  for  us,  we  strike  very  naturally 
into  an  Octave  or  Eighth  l)elow.  And  here  let  it  be  observed,  that  the  Height  of  a 
Note  or  the  Strength  of  singing  it,  are  two  different  Things.  Two  Notes  of  ecjual 
Height  may  be  sounded  with  different  degrees  of  Strength,  so  that  one  shall  be 
heard  much  further  than  the  other." 

In  the  light  of  otir  later  and  larger  knowledge,  we  may  be  disposed 
to  smile  at  this  definition  of  elementary  music,  but  we  have  to  regard  it 
from  the  point  of  comparison  with  that  which  it  succeeded  and  supplanted, 
and  of  the  limited  opportunities  available  to  those  who  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  elucidation  of  a  practical  system  for  the  diffusion  of  skill  in 
singing.  With  a  more  appreciative  sen.se  of  what  is  justly  dtie  to  these 
pioneers  in  the  cause  of  harmony,  we  turn  to  the  results  which  directly 
followed  their  efforts.  They  not  only  gave  an  impulse  and  direction  to 
musical  cultivation,  but  enabled  the  recently  established  "  singing  socie- 
ties "  to  acquire  an  intelligent  knowledge  and  beneficial  practice  of  part 
singing.  It  opened  up  to  the  musical  amateurs  of  the  day  the  higher 
beauties  of  hannony,  and  led  them  into  a  new  world  of  exquisite  enjoj''- 
ment,  the  participation  of  which  lent  form  and  direction  to  the  inherent 


but  iiitlR-rto  dormant  artistic  SL-nsihility  of  all  the  more  rcfincnl  and 
cultured  of  the  day.  It  supplied  to  America  the  first  breath  of  art  life 
and  aspiration,  feeble  but  true,  and  ushered  in  the  dawn  of  a  brighter 
and  better  day,  whose  hopeful  and  inspirini^  radiance  soon  overspread 
the  whole  eastern  sky. 

It  has  been  remarked  that  while  in  this  ruijijed  soil,  after  loni;  delay 
and  much  fruitless  effort,  against  adverse  conditions,  it  was  only  at 
this  time  that  true  musical  culture  succeeded  in  taking  a  finii  root,  in 
Europe  this  was  the  period  of  the  most  sublime  achievement.  Monteverde 
was  originating  opera  in  Italy;  Purcell  was  restoring  the  grandeur  of  a 
lost  art  in  church  nuisic  in  England,  and  Haydn  and  Mozart  were 
illuminating  the  page  of  musical  history  in  Germany:  while  Handel  and 
Bach  had  already  accomplished  their  work  for  art  and  for  the  ages. 
While  this  is  true,  the  fair  student  of  history,  and  specially  of  musical 
history  on  this  continent,  is  bound  to  consider  in  its  connection,  that  the 
pioneers  of  nuisic  in  America  had  none  of  those  vast  and  important 
accumulations  of  musical  wealth  and  tradition  upon  which  to  found  their 
labors,  as  had  the  great  masters  of  contemporary  period  in  the  old  world. 
In  fact,  they  had  no  past.  All  nuisical  effort  proceeded  ab  initio.  The 
work  accomplished  from  1620  to  1750  was,  in  effect  and  in  fact,  the  same 
as  had  occupied  centuries  of  development  in  Europe.  There  were  no 
wealthy  classes  to  foster  and  encourage  art.  They  had  access  to  no 
granary  of  nuisical  knowledge  in  which  was  stored  the  accunuilation  of 
hmnan  endeavor  since  the  begin::ing  of  civilization.  They  had  no 
Mozart,  starving  in  a  garret  while  creating  celestial  melody  to  delight  all 
posterity.  Such  progress  as  they  made  they  had  to  ori!^inatt\  almost  as  if 
the  old  world  had  never  been. 

Vet  progress  once  safely  launched  in  the  right  direction  was  there- 
after without  retrogression.  The  singing  classes  performed  not  only  the 
useful  work  of  training  voices  for  the  proper  interpretation  of  such  music 
as  was  at  their  command,  but  they  formed  and  cultivated  musical  taste  — 
the  desire  for  higher  things  in  the  art,  which  had  fruition  later  on  in  a 
further  development  of  the  art  of  harmony. 

In  1742  the  first  organ  ever  built  in  America  was  constructed  in 
Boston  by  Edward  Bromfield.  An  intuitive  perception  of  the  fact  that 
poetry-  in  the  matter  was  a  necessar\'  accompaniment  to  melotly  in  the 
Psalms  and  sacred  songs  grew  up,  and  in  1752  Rev.  Mr.  Barnard  intro- 
duced rhyme  into  a  translation  of  the  psalms,  adding  a  few^  hymns.  He 
entitled  his  work,  "  A  new  version  of  the  Psalms  of  David  ;  fitted  to  the 
tunes  used  in  the  churches  ;  with  several  hymns  out  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments.      By  John  Barnard,   pastor  of  a  church  in   Marblehead." 

19 


This  work  was  supplemented  by  sixteen  pages  of  creditably  engraved 
music  with  bars,  comprising  fifty  different  tunes,  of  choral  style  ;  also 
forty-eight  tunes  in  three  parts,  well  engraved,  with  bars  ;  the  musical 
appendix  being  preceded  by  one  page  of  elementary  instruction.  In  his 
preface  he  says  : 

"Though  the  New  England  version  of  the  Psalms  of  David,  in  metre,  is  gen- 
erally very  good,  and  few  of  the  same  age  may  be  compared  with  it,  yet  the  flux  of 
languages  has  rendered  several  phrases  in  it  obsolete,  and  the  mode  of  expression  in 
various  places  less  acceptable  ;  for  which  reason  an  amendment  or  new  version  has 
been  long  and  greatly  desired  by  the  most  judicious  amongst  us." 

"Alter  waiting  long  for  the  performance  of  some  more  masterly  pen,  and  upon 
rep)eated  desires,  I  have  ventured  to  employ  all  the  spare  time  of  my  advanced  age 
(this  day,  through  the  forbearance  of  God,  completing  my  seventieth  yean  in  com- 
posing a  new  version  suited  to  the  tunes  used  in  our  churches,  which  by  Divine 
assistance  is  now  finished." 

The  use  of  this  work  does  not,  however,  appear  to  have  extended 
beyond  Mr.  Barnard's  own  congregation.  Rev.  Thomas  Prince,  in  1758, 
revised  the  Bay  Psalm  Book,  and  published  his  work  with  the  following 
title  :  "The  Psalms,  Hymns,  and  Spiritual  Songs  of  the  Old  and  Xew 
Testaments  faithfully  translated  into  Engli.sh  metre.  Being  the  New 
England  Psalm  Book  revised  and  improved  by  an  endeavor  after  a  yet 
nearer  approach  to  the  Inspired  Original,  as  well  as  to  the  rules  of  Poetry. 
With  an  addition  of  fifty  other  Hymns  on  the  most  important  subject  of 
Christianity.  With  their  titles  placed  in  order,  from  the  fall  of  Angels 
and  Man,  to  Heaven  after  the  general  Judgment."  These  continued  to 
be  those  most  generally  used  till  gradually  supplanted  bj-  those  of  Dr. 
Watts,  a  second  edition  of  the  book  being  published  in  1773.  In  1761 
was  published  a  book  bearing  the  title  :  "  Urania,  or  a  choice  collection 
of  Psalm  Tunes,  Anthems  and  Hymns,  from  the  most  approved  authors, 
with  some  entirely  new.  In  tivo,  tlirce  and  four  parts.  The  whole 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  use  of  churches  and  private  families,  to 
which  are  prefaced  the  plainest  and  most  necessary  Rules  of  Psalmody. 
By  James  Lyons,  A.  B.,  Philadelphia."  It  was  handsomely  printed, 
contained  twelve  pages  of  elementarj'  instnictions,  and  about  two  hun- 
dred pages  of  music,  ninety  of  which  were  devoted  to  anthems.  It  con- 
tained poor  attempts  at  fuguing  and  imitation,  and  evinced  in  many 
points  the  ignorance  of  the  writer  of  some  of  the  fundamental  rules  of 
harmony.  It  was  dedicated  "To  the  clergy  of  every  denomination  in 
America."  With  all  its  imperfections,  however,  it  is  to  be  taken  as  a  con- 
vincing evidence  of  the  upward  tendency  of  musical  efibrt. 

When  the  Puritans  first  came  to  this  cotintn-  it  was  their  custom  to 
sing  without  "reading  the  line,"  but  on  the  introduction  of  the  Bay 
Psalm  Book  this  latter  practice  came  in  and  gradually  became  general. 
Plymouth    Church    adopted    it    in    16S1,   and   in    1664  the  Westminster 


Assembly  recommended  to  the  churches  that  were  not  supplied  with 
books  the  reading  of  the  psalms  line  by  line,  so  that  all  might  follow  the 
verbiage  of  the  text  in  singing.  This,  however,  though  intended  only 
to  meet  an  emergency  for  the  poor,  became  adopted  and  recognized  as  a  gen- 
eral rule,  rendering  the  worship  of  praise  bj-  singing  grotesque  and  absurd. 
By  1750  it  had  come  to  be  the  almost  universal  practice,  though  the 
diffusion  of  printed  psalm  books  rendered  it  without  the  slightest  intelli- 
gent excuse.  Rev.  Dr.  Watts,  in  the  preface  to  an  early  edition  of  his 
psalms  and  hymns,  was  the  finst  to  protest  against  the  derangement 
created  by  this  practice,  and  in  the  endeavor  which  followed,  by  the 
more  intelligent  and  progressive  element,  to  reined}-  the  evil,  there  arose 
a  virulent  and  bitter  controversy,  which  continued  till  after  the  war  of 
the  revolution,  the  practice  being  only  finally  extinguished  when  the 
choir  system  prevailed,  when  the  "  lining  out  "  method  became  no  longer 
practicable.  Here  again  the  cause  of  music  owed  to  the  enlightened 
efforts  of  the  Puritan  ministers  the  removal  of  a  stumbling  block  that 
stood  in  the  way  of  advancement  in  sacred  nuisic  as  performed  in  the 
churches  ;  for  no  matter  how  skillful  the  singers  might  become  in  their 
classes,  and  at  private  gatherings,  it  was  manifestly  impossible  that 
effective  rendering  could  be  had  while  a  break  or  pause  in  the  music  was 
interjected  to  give  time  for  the  "  reading  out  of  the  line."  Controversy 
on  this  point,  in  which  the  ground  taken  bj'  the  objectors  was  the  same 
as  that  of  the  former  difficulty  over  the  "new  method,"  that  of  old  usage, 
was  only  ended  when  choirs  in  the  churches  became  the  universal  rule. 

Meantime,  in  1741,  Dr.  Franklin  had  published  at  Philadelphia  an 
edition  of  Dr.  Watt's  hymns,  the  first  which  went  into  general  use  in 
America,  and  al)out  the  same  time  an  edition  of  Tate  and  Brady's  "  Book 
of  Psalms  in  Metre"  was  published  in  the  colonies,  and  it  was  from  this 
work  that  the  psalms  used  in  the  "Protestant  Iqiiscopal  Church  in  the 
I'niled  States  of  America "  were  taken.  In  1753  William  Tuckey,  a 
schoolma.ster  of  New  York,  taught  singing  to  the  children  of  his  district. 
He  had  l)een  vicar,  or  suiK-rintendent  of  singing,  of  the  Cathedral  Church 
of  Bristol,  lingland,  and  had  some  musical  ac(juirement.  He  compo.sed 
the  anthem  "Liverpool"  used  in  Lyons'  collection,  and  in  1766  was 
paid  by  the  trustees  of  Trinity  Church  /"15  for  performing  the  nuisic  for 
the  opening  of  St.  Paul's  Church  in  New  York.  From  such  facts  we 
gather  that  the  pojiular  appreciation  of  music  was  on  the  increase. 

In  1764  ajipeared  a  new  book  of  church  nuisic,  entitled  "A  collection 
of  the  best  Psalm  Tunes,  in  two,  three  and  four  parts  ;  from  the  most 
apjiroved  authors,  fitted  to  all  measures,  and  approved  by  the  best  masters 
jn  Boston,  New  Kngland  ;  the  greater  part  of  them  never  l)efore  printed 


in  America.  ICngravcd  by  Paul  Revere  and  sold  bj'  him  and  Jos.  Flagg." 
This  was  a  book  of  some  eighty  pages,  engraved  with  verj'  good  skill,  and 
printed  on  paper  manufactured  in  the  colonies,  of  which  fact  Josiah  Flagg 
says  that  he  hopes  that  "  it  will  not  diminish  the  value  of  the  work  in  the 
estimation  of  any,  but  may  in  some  degree,  recommend  it. ' '  This  collection 
embraced  one  hundred  and  sixteen  tunes  and  two  anthems.  In  the  same 
year  Daniel  Bailey,  of  Xewburyport,  Ma.ss.,  published  "A  new  and  com- 
plete Introduction  to  the  Grounds  and  Rules  of  Music,  in  two  books." 
This  book  met  with  much  success,  and  in  1769  Bailey  published  a  new 
collection  called  "The  American  Harmony."  This  collection  was  pub- 
lished in  two  volumes,  the  second  appearing  in  1771.  The  full  title  of 
this  publication  was  ; 

The  American  Harmony  :  or  Royal  M^elody  Complete.    In  two  volumes ;   Vol. 

I.  By  William  Tansur,  Printed  and  sold  by  Daniel  Bayley,  Newbury  Port,  1774.     Vol. 

II.  The  American  Harmony,  or  Universal  Psalmodist.  By  A.  Williams,  Teacher  of 
Psalmody  in  London.  Printed  and  sold  by  Daniel  Bayley,  Newbury  Port,  Jan.  13, 
1774.     Each  volume  contained  90  pages. 

The  tunes  were  arranged  in  three  parts,  and  the  first  volume  is  intro- 
duced by  "A  new  and  correct  Introduction  to  the  Grounds  of  Musick, 
Rudimental,  Practical  and  Technical."  In  the  preface  to  the  .second 
volume  Bailej'  said  :  "I  take  this  opportunity  to  return  my  thanks  to  my 
Friends  and  Customers  for  their  kind  acceptance  of  my  Publications  of 
Musick,  which  has  far  exceeded  my  expectations.  :K  *  *  j  have  also 
added  sundry  Hymns  and  Anthem  Tunes,  from  the  latest  and  most  cele- 
brated authors."  This  work  contains  some  music  which,  though  uniden- 
tified, is  believed  by  competent  critics,  to  l>e  of  American  production, 
probably  contributed  by  Flagg  and  Billings.  These  earlier  musical  works 
were  generally  plentifully  marred  by  errors,  due  to  inexperience  in  the 
art  of  musical  printing  and  to  the  lack  of  qualified  assistance  in  the  proof 
reading.  On  the  whole,  however,  they  were  very  creditable  to  the  time 
to  which  they  belonged,  and  the  publishers  cho.se  the  part  of  wisdom 
when  they  preferred  to  risk  an  occasional  error  to  the  chances  of  worse 
confounding  confusion  by  attempting  a  work  of  correction  for  which  they 
realized  their  incompetence.  The  extensive  demand  for  these  works 
proves  the  rapid  growth  of  general  musical  cultivation  in  the  only  field 
open  at  that  time,  while  the  diversity  of  characteristics  embraced  in  the 
books  of  Lyon,  Flagg  and  Bailey's  collections,  indicates  an  advance  beyond 
the  old  limitations  of  the  New  England  Psalmody.  Bailey's  last  book,  above 
mentioned,  shows  that  contrapuntal  music  was  beginning  to  be  cultivated, 
as  it  contains  "  fuguing  choruses  "  and  canons  from  "  two  in  one  to  seven 
parts  in  one."  The  I-'iiglish  anthem,  with  its  embellishments  of  fioriture, 
came  into  favor,  and  these,  with  the  solos  and  duets  introduced  in  the 


anthems,  indicate  a  great  advance  in  s!:ill  on  the  part  (jf  those  who  prac- 
ticed them. 

In  1773  Josiah  KLagg,  who  with  tlie  functions  of  composer  and  pub- 
lisher combined  those  of  performer  and  concert  manager,  estabUshed  a 
band  in  Boston  of  which  he  was  the  leader,  and  with  which  he  gave 
public  concerts  in  Faneuil  Hall,  on  one  of  which  occasions,  according  to 
Moore,  there  were  over  fifty  performers.  This  affords  another  evidence, 
not  only  of  increasing  musical  skill,  but  of  an  awakened  popular  api)re- 
ciation  of  musical  culture. 

In  1774  appeared  "  The  Gentleman  and  Ladies'  Musical  Companion; 
Containing  a  variety  of  excellent  Anthems,  Psalm  tunes,  &c.,  collected 
from  the  best  Authors  ;  with  a  short  explanation  of  the  rules  of  nmsic. 
The  whole  corrected  and  rendered  plain.  By  John  Stickney.  1774. 
Printed  and  sold  by  Daniel  Bayley,  Newburj-  Port,  and  ])y  most  book- 
sellers in  New  England." 

The  two  following  books  made  their  appearance  in  177S  : 

"The  Singing  Master's  Assistant ;  or  Key  to  Practical  Music.  Being 
an  abridgment  from  the  New  England  Psalm  Singer,  together  with  several 
other  tunes  never  before  published.  Boston  :  Draper  and  Folsom.  En- 
graved by  Benjamin  Pierpont.  June,  1778."    One  hundred  and  four  pages. 

"  The  Northampton  Collection.     By  Elias  Mann.     Nov.  3,  177S.' 

During  this  period  another  struggle  was  going  on  Ixitween  the  pre- 
judices of  the  sticklers  for  old  traditions  and  the  progress  of  those  who 
were  endeavoring  to  gain  for  church  music  the  lx;nefit  of  the  improved 
methods  now  very  generally  practiced  outside  the  churches,  resembling  in 
all  its  features  those  which  had  preceded  it  with  regard  to  the  "usual 
way  "  of  singing  and  the  "  lining  out  "  of  the  psalms.  The  adoption  of 
the  choir  system  did  not  become  universal  till  1790,  and  the  course  of  its 
gradual  progress  is  best  illustrated  by  a  few  extracts  from  historical  rec- 
ords. 

Felt's  History  of  Ipswich  has  the  following:  "  1753.  The  seats  of 
the  choir  were  designated  by  the  First  Parish  in  Ipswich,  being  '  two  back 
on  each  side  of  the  front  alley." 

"Similar  provision  was  made  at  the  Hamlet,  now  Hamilton,  in  1764, 
and  at  Chebaco  in  1788.  The  choir  of  the  First  Parish  began  to  sit  in 
the  galler>-  in  1781.     This  alteration  was  .soon  imitated  in  other  parishes." 

"Ipswich,"  says  Hood,  in  his  History  of  Music  in  New  l-.tii^land, 
"  is  one  of  the  oldest  churches  away  from  the  seaboard,  and,  though 
famed  for  its  singers,  the  above  notes  render  it  almost  certain  that  they 
had  no  choir  at  that  time;  but  witiiin  five  years  after  this  they  had  an 
efficient  choir,  sitting  in  the  front  galler>-,  the  place  a.ssigned." 


In  the  History  of  Rowley  are  to  l)e  found  the  following  data  : 

■'  1765.  The  parish  voted  that  those  who  had  learned  the  art  of  sing- 
ing niaj'  have  liberty'  to  sit  in  the  front  gallery.  They  did  not  take  the 
liberty  (objecting  to  singing  after  the  clerk's  reading)." 

"  1780.  The  parish  requested  Jonathan  Chaplin,  Jr.,  and  Lieutenant 
Spafford  to  assist  Deacon  .Spafford  in  Raising  the  ticnc  in  the  Meeting 
house." 

1785.  The  parish  desire  the  singers,  both  male  and  female,  to  sit  in 
the  galler\-,  and  will  allow  them  to  sing  once  upon  each  Lord's  day  with- 
out  reading  by  the  Deacons.''^ 

The  History  of  Worcester  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  final 
scene  which  ensued  on  the  abolition  of  the  "  lining  out "  system,  and  the 
introduction  of  the  choir.  On  Aug.  5,  1779,  it  was  voted,  "That  the 
singers  sit  in  the  front  .seats  of  the  gallery,  and  that  those  gentlemen  who 
have  hitherto  sat  in  the  front  seats  in  said  gallery-,  have  a  right  to  sit  in 
the  front  and  second  seat  below,  and  that  said  singers  have  said  seats  ap- 
propriated to  said  use.  Voted,  that  said  singer-s  be  requested  to  take  .said 
.seats  and  carry  on  the  singing  in  public  worship.  Voted,  that  the  mode  of 
singing  in  the  congregation  here  be  without  reading  the  psalms  line  b}' 
line  to  be  sung. 

' '  The  Sabbath  after  the  adoption  of  these  votes,  after  the  hymn  had 
been  read  by  the  minister,  the  aged  and  venerable  Deacon  Chamberlain, 
unwilling  to  desert  the  custom  of  his  fathers,  rose  and  read  the  first  line? 
according  to  the  usual  practice.  The  singers,  prepared  to  carrj'  the  alter- 
ation into  eflfect,  proceeded  without  pausing  at  the  conclusion.  The 
white-haired  officer  of  the  church,  with  the  full  power  of  his  voice,  read 
on  till  the  louder  notes  of  the  collected  bodj'  overpowered  the  attempt  to 
resist  the  progress  of  improvement,  and  the  deacon,  deeply  mortified  at 
the  triumph  of  musical  reformation,  seized  his  hat,  and  retired  from  the 
meeting  house  in  tears.  His  conduct  was  censured  l)y  the  church,  and  he 
was  for  a  time  deprived  of  its  communion  for  absenting  himself  from  the 
public  services  of  the  Sabbath." 


CHAPTER  II. 

William  Billings,  to  iSoo. 

lIlKi  iL  LTHOUGH  he  had  commenced  his  career  as  a  composer  of  church 
.^^^  music  a  few  years  prior  to  the  war  of  the  revolution,  it  was  not 
j||i^*  till  about  1779  that  William  Billings  had  fairly  and  effectively 
^•^  embarked  upon  a  work  that  left  a  decided  and  beneficial  impress 
upon  the  course  of  musical  cultivation,  and  that  made  his  name  a 
landmark  in  the  progress  of  the  art  in  America.  Although  the 
reforms  and  improvements  introduced  by  Billings  were  to  the  critical 
analj'st,  who  judges  of  the  work  accomplished  by  him  in  the  light  of  the 
highest  standard  of  the  art  of  music,  crude,  unrefined  and  even  vulgar,  it 
in  no  wise  detracts  from  the  credit  which  is  undoubtedly  due  him  as  a 
powerful  factor  in  the  formation  of  a  more  general  nuisical  taste  than  had 
heretofore  existed,  and  in  the  creation  of  an  upward  and  onward  impulse 
in  the  course  of  musical  advancement.  Prior  to  his  time  the  career  of 
music  had  been  a  level  and  monotonous  plain,  unbroken  bj'  anj'  impor- 
tant incident,  and  uninspired  by  any  ambition  to  rise  above  the  field  to 
which  all  effort  had  been  confined.  Such  advances  as  had  l)een  made 
were  rather  in  the  nature  of  a  reduction  of  chaotic  elements  to  the  condi- 
tions of  order  and  the  possibilities  of  development.  In  William  Billings 
we  find  the  first  original  composer,  and  the  pioneer  in  a  new  era  of  nui- 
sical progress,  whose  efforts,  such  as  they  were,  led  up  and  paved  the 
way  to  higher  achievements  later  on,  and  who  thus,  rightly  judged  by  the 
results  that  flowed  out  of  his  labors,  rather  than  by  the  comparison  of  his 
work  with  that  of  a  higher  musical  world,  has  conferred  upon  American 
musical  culture  benefits  which  it  is  difficult  to-day  to  estimate.  Billings, 
by  the  nature  of  his  talent,  and  the  bent  and  limit  of  his  ambition,  was 
naturally  fitted  to  the  work  of  evolution  which  it  was  his  mission  to 
perform.  We  are  not  of  those  who  believe  that,  in  the  direction  of  pro- 
gress of  any  of  those  arts  and  sciences  which  tend  to  the  elevation  and 


refir.emenl  of  niaiikiiul,  IIktc  is  anything  left  to  chance  ;  and  the  work  per- 
formed by  Billings  was  not  of  the  fortuitous  character  tliat  might  grow 
out  of  accidental  circumstances,  Init  was  in  pursuance  of  the  grander  de- 
signs of  an  overruling  power  that  chooses  the  instruments  of  its  high  pur- 
poses with  a  wisdom  inicrringly  justified  in  ultimate  results,  however 
incomprehensible  to  human  judgment.  Had  Mozart  or  Bach,  with  all 
their  sublime  and  ineffal)le  genius,  appeared  in  the  place  of  Billings,  the 
tajmer-nmsician,  the  seeds  of  their  art  inspirations  from  which  the  world 
has  reaped  so  glorious  a  harvest  of  harmonic  beauty,  would  have  perished 
on  a  soil  too  barren  for  even  the  faintest  development  of  that  higher  nm- 
sical  life  for  which  Billings  was  as  one  sent  to  prepare  the  wa\-.  The  chief 
influence  which  made  him  an  effective  factor  in  musical  development,  lay 
in  the  adaptation  of  his  particular  talent  to  the  conditions  of  the  day,  and 
in  the  nature  of  his  musical  advances,  which  were  not  so  violent  as  to 
repel  confidence  ;  were  not  beyond  the  imperfect  musical  comprehension  of 
the  time  ;  were  practicable,  and  led  by  easy  and  natural  steps  in  the 
direction  of  the  light. 

William  Billings  was  born  in  Bo.ston  Oct.  7,  1764,  and  died  in  that 
city  Sept.  29,  1800.  He  learned  the  trade  of  tanner,  and  certainly  found 
no  musical  inspiration  in  auN'  of  the  surroundings  of  his  occupation.  Hav- 
ing a  natural  liking  for  music,  he  became  a  member  of  the  singing  .schools 
of  the  day,  and  acquired  such  knowledge  as  was  then  available  and  was 
essential  to  a  successful  singer  in  the  church  choirs.  Being  gifted  with  a 
natural  instinct  of  harmony,  he  began  to  realize  that  there  was  something 
lacking  in  the  music  then  in  use  in  the  churches  —  som'ething  in  the  stiff 
and  formal  tunes  that  antagonized  his  instinct  of  free  and  .spontaneous 
melody.  Accordingly,  he  began  to  experiment  by  imitation  of  the  form 
of  such  psalm  tunes  as  best  pleased  his  musical  sense,  introducing  new 
combinations,  and  harmonizing  them  according  to  his  ability,  at  first,  it  is 
said,  using  the  sides  of  leather,  or  the  walls  of  the  tannery,  on  which  his 
insi)irations  were  in.scribed  in  chalk.  Having  been  a.ssociated  with  Gov- 
ernor Sanuiel  Adams  and  Dr.  Pierce,  of  Brookline,  both  as  a  choral  singer, 
and  on  the  platform  on  concert  occasions,  he  derived  nuich  encouragement 
in  the  develoi)ment  of  his  musical  ideas  from  their  friendly  promptings, 
and  also  benefited  personalh'  and  in  his  mental  habits  from  contact  with 
those  in  the  higher  walks  of  life.  They  forwarded  his  interests  as  a  sing- 
ing teacher,  to  which  profession  he  was  naturally  led.  and  on  ascertaining 
his  faculty  for  composition,  encouraged  him  in  its  exercise.  Doubtless, 
too,  they  were  instrumental  in  inspiring  him  with  confidence  in  his  own 
powers,  which  first  took  shape  in  the  publication,  in  1770.  of  a  collection  of 
his  nuisical  work,  which  was  entitled  : 


The  New  Eiiglaiul  I'salm  Singer  ;  or  American  Cliorisler.  Cotilaiiimj;  a  iiuni- 
ber  of  I'salm  tiiiicbi,  Aiillicms  ami  Canons.  In  four  and  five  parts.  (Never  before 
])iiblisbe(l.  I  Composed  by  William  Hillinjjs,  a  native  of  Hoston,  in  New  I^nvjland. 
Matt.  xii.  10  :  "  Out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and  sucklinj;s  has  thou  ])erfei-te<l  jiraise." 
James  v.  18  :  "  Is  any  merry  ?     I,el  hiui  siny  psalms." 

O,  praise  llif  I.onl  with  iiiic  cun.scut, 

And  ill  tills  ;;niii(l  dc-sign, 
Let  Rritsiiii  ami  thi-  colonics 

I'nnniinously  join. 

Boston,  New  Ivngland.  Printed  by  Edes  &  Gill. 
It  cannot  l)e  said  that  this  work  was  fouiuk-d  upon  a  high  ideal. 
vSiich  as  had  some  knowledge  of  the  true  elements  of  musical  science  criti- 
cised the  workmanship  of  the  new  composer.  Vet  the  New  liiii^land 
Pmbn  Sillier  became  popular  and  was  successful  with  the  public, 
mainly  becatise,  no  doubt,  it  opened  to  the  singers  novelty  and  variety  in 
musical  forms,  and  a  way  out  of  the  dry  and  monotonous  routine  to  which 
they  had  heretofore  been  confined.  When  we  reflect  that  Billings  was  en- 
tirely self-educated  ;  that  he  had  no  higher  guide  in  the  rules  of  composi- 
tion than  such  imperfect  works  as  had  been  published  with  previous 
English  hynni  time  collections,  and  consider  his  daring  flight  in  his  first 
publication  into  the  realm  of  contrapuntal  music,  we  must  certainly  give 
him  credit  for  even  the  approximation  of  true  art  form  and  idea.  In  the 
preface  to  this  work,  he  says  he  has  "  read  several  authors'  rules  on  com- 
])osition,"  and  finding  there  that  "  the  .strictest  of  them  make  some  excep- 
tions," he  justifies  himself  by  induction  from  the  law  of  "poetic  license" 
for  a  like  lapse  from  the  strict  rules  of  music  which  he  had  found.  He 
admits  that  "  in  some  .sort  of  composition  there  is  dr>-  Study  required,  and 
Art  very  requisite.  For  instance,  in  a  fuge.  But  even  there  Art  is  sub- 
.ser\'ient  to  genius,  for  Fancy  goes  first,  and  strikes  out  the  Work  roughly, 
and  Art  comes  after  and  polishes  it  over."  And  ultimately  he  concludes  : 
"  So,  in  fact,  I  think  it  is  best  for  everj-  composer  to  be  his  own  learner." 
Governed  by  this  idea,  it  was  liardly  possible  that  Billings'  first  work 
shotild  escape  an  amjile  crop  of  fair  reasons  for  criticism,  and  it  only 
remains  a  wonder  that  it  .should  have  embodied  .so  much  of  melodic  charm 
as  it  miquestionably  did.  Shortly  after,  a  new  direction  was  given  to 
Billings'  musical  talent.  The  war  of  independence  broke  out  in  1775.  and 
continued  till  17.S2,  and  during  a  large  portion  of  this  period  Billings  gave 
himself  and  his  musical  talents  to  patriotic  effusion.  The  revulsion 
against  everything  Briti.sh  was  complete,  and  extended  to  the  psalm  tunes 
from  the  detested  source  as  well  as  to  other  matters.  As  aptl>-  de.scrilK-d 
in  K\KXcf<,  A fusic  in  America,  "  Billings  now  became  the  patriotic  psalm 
singer.  He  paraphra.sed  the  psalms  and  transfonned  them  into  iK)litical 
(patriotic)  hymns,  or  took  .such  words  as  he  found  fit  for  the  expression 
of  the  patriotic  spirit,  and  composed  or  adapted  one  of  his  lively  psalm 


luiiL'S  to  thum."     These  soon  resounded  in  the  choir,  the  family  and  the 

military  camp,  and  in  their  unbounded  and  universal  popularitj' expressed 

and  stinnilated  the  patriotic  ardor.     His  tune  of  Chester,  adapted  to  the 

words  openinj^  — 

Let  tyrants  shake  their  iron  rod, 

And  slavery  clank  her  j^alling  chains. 
We'll  fear  them  not,  we'll  trust  in  God  ; 

New  England's  God  forever  reigns, 

was,  it  is  recorded,  frequently  heard  from  every  fife  in  the  New  England 
ranks,  and  led  the  way  to  indomitable  victory  on  many  a  hard-fought  field. 
As  with  the  songs  later  on  of  the  great  anti-slaverj-  war,  they  embodied 
and  expressed  the  pent-up  heart  emotions  of  the  people,  and  are  to  be  rec- 
ognized essentially  as  the  first  American  folk-song.  It  ma\'  be  said  of 
them,  too,  that  they  broke  up  the  springs  of  true  harmonic  instinct  in  the 
people,  hitherto  frozen  up  by  the  constricting  and  congealing  influence  of 
the  old  and  lifeless  conventionalities  of  the  psalmody  period,  and  led  not 
3-et  to  any  wide  iinderstanding  of  the  functions  and  human  ideal  of  mu- 
sical art,  but  to  a  growing  appreciation  of  its  beauties.  They  gave  also  an 
upward  art  impulse  to  the  composer  him.self,  and  in  his  second  musical 
collection,  The  Singing  Master's  Assistant,  we  find  not  only  higher 
approach  to  true  musical  theorj-  than  had  characterized  the  Ne7u  England 
Psalm  Singer,  but  e\idence  of  a  realization  on  the  part  of  Billings  that 
his  old  idea  that  Nature  and  not  Art  must  be  the  teacher  was  a  fallacious 
one,  and  a  recognition  of  the  truth  that  better  art  results  were  to  be  ob- 
tained by  the  observance  of  those  "  rules  of  composition,"  which  he  had 
previousl}'  undervalued.     In  his  preface  (1778)  he  sa\-s  : 

Kind  reader,  no  doubt  you  remember  that  about  ten  years  ago  I  published  a 
book  entitled  "'The  New  England  Psalm  Singer,"  and  truh'  a  most  masterly  per- 
formance I  then  thought  it  to  be.  *  *  Said  I  :  "  Thou  art  my  Reuben,  my  first 
born,  the  beginning  of  my  Strength,  the  Excellency  of  my  Dignity  and  the  Exceilenc\- 
of  my  Power."  But  to  my  great  mortification  I  soon  discovered  that  it  was  Reuben  in 
the  secjuel  and  Reuben  all  over  ;  I  have  discovered  that  many  pieces  were  never  worth 
my  printing  or  j-our  inspection. 

The  essential  features  which  distingui.shed  the  best  of  his  work  —  and 
his  most  ambitious  compo-sitions,  anthems,  etc.,  were  his  least  in  musical 
importance,  being  scarred  with  glaring  imperfections  —  were  a  buoyancy 
of  rhythm,  originality,  life  and  melodic  fluenc}-,  and  these  characteristics, 
so  radically  differing  from  those  of  preceding  musical  effort,  must  have 
presented  a  charm  and  improvement  that  appealed  strongly  to  the  natural 
mtisical  instinct  of  the  day.  Perhaps  his  highest  merit  was  his  strict 
originality.  He  neither  borrowed,  adapted  nor  stole  the  melodies  of 
others.  Such  as  he  produced  he  evolved  out  of  his  own  musical  conscious- 
ness and  the  resources  with  which  nature  and  .self-education  had  gifted 
him.     In  other  directions,  too,  he  performed  important  service  in  giving 


a  first  distinct  and  definite  progressive  movement  to  musical  development. 
He  introduced  the  pitch-pipe  in  church  choirs,  and  took  the  extremely 
audacious  measure,  for  that  time,  of  enlisting  the  viol  as  an  accompani- 
ment in  church  music,  and  was  the  first  to  institute  public  musical  concert 
exhibitions  in  New  England. 

Conspicuous  among  the  contemporaries  of  William  Hillings  was 
Andrew  Law,  who  was  born  in  1748,  at  Cheshire,  Conn.  Law  was  a  man  of 
liberal  education,  and  he  l)ecame  a  music  teacher  while  yet  in  his  teens. 
The  violin  was  his  principal  in.strument,  but  he  also  taught  the  flute. 
While  a  less  diligent  worker  than  Billings,  Andrew  Law  was  a  more  cul- 
tivated musician,  and  no  small  degree  of  critical  taste  is  manifested  in  the 
several  collections  of  church  music  which  he  published.  As  a  composer  he 
enjoyed  less  popularity  than  Billings,  and  but  few  of  his  psalm  tunes  are 
found  in  modem  collections,  though  his  Anhdalc  had  a  place  in  many 
volumes  of  comparatively  recent  date.  He  was  an  excellent  type  of  the 
musical  pedagogue  of  that  epoch,  and  he  worked  zealously  for  many  years 
as  a  singing  master  in  the  New  Kngland  states.  He  devised  a  new  method 
of  musical  notation,  doing  away  entirely  with  the  lines  of  the  staff;  but 
the  novelty  was  not  received  with  any  high  degree  of  favor.  He  lived 
and  labored  in  his  native  town,  and  there  he  died  in  1S21.  Jacob  Kiml)all 
was  another  composer  of  cliurch  music  whose  career  extended  o\er  about 
the  same  period.  He  was  bom  in  1761  and  died  in  1S26.  In  1793 
Kinil)all  publislied  a  book  of  psalm  tunes  called  Rural  If aniumy.  He  was 
accredited  a  talented  man  and  a  poet  in  his  way;  but  he  died  in  the  alms 
liouse  at  Topsfield,  Mass.  Among  other  contributors  to  the  church 
music  of  the  ejioch  were  Oliver  Holden,  Samuel  Holyoke,  Daniel  Read, 
Timothy  Swan,  Jacob  French,  Oliver  Shaw  ("  the  blind  singer"),  Bab- 
cock,  Dutton,  Lee.  King  and  .several  others,  all  in  some  degree  disciples 
and  followers  of  William  Hillings.  To  the  labors  of  Billings  and  his 
contemporaries  American  music  owes  a  debt  similar  in  character  to  that 
which  American  civilization  owes  to  the  pioneers  and  discoverers.  They 
were  stanch  and  sturdy  New  Englanders,  and  their  work  reflected  tlieir 
personality. 


CHAPTKR  III. 

Oi'KNiNc,  oi--  THK  Xixi:t]-;i;.ntii  Ci:ntuky. 

HE  conditions  which  ol^taiiicd  at  the  o])eniiig  of  the  nineteenth 
century  were  not  liopefnl  for  the  cause  of  musical  advancement. 
A  reaction  arose  against  tlie  florid  st\le  of  cliurch  music,  and  in 
the  zeal  of  .some  for  more  cha.ste  simplicity  in  sacred  .song,  much 
that  was  elevating  and  improving  in  the  music  of  Billings  was  lost 
sight  of  for  a  time,  and  without  any  compensating  advantage.  The 
publications  of  the  period  opened  with  an  original  collection  of  Sacred 
D/r<^fs,  Hytinis  and  AiilliCDis,  in  1800,  a  book  of  twent}-eight  pages, 
printed  by  Isaiah  Thomas  and  E.  T.  Andrews.  In  1801,  Timothy  Swan 
l>ublished  The  Ne'u'  /iiiQlaiid  Tlaniiony,  a  book  of  one  hundred  and  four 
pages,  containing  the  well  known  tunes  C/iina,  Pouiial  and  Pola)id.  These 
tunes  are  .still  in  vogue,  and  that  they  ha\  e  so  long  survived,  their  author 
is  some  proof  of  inherent  merit.  Swan  was  a  native  of  Suffield,  born  in 
1760,  and  this  appears  to  ha\e  been  the  onl>-  work  that  he  offered  to  the 
public.  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  .seeing  his  book  attain  a  wide  popu- 
larity, due  to  the  fact,  in  part,  of  its  excellence,  and  in  part  to  its  fitting 
so  hapjiily  the  revulsion  of  feeling  against  the  Killings  method.  He  died 
at  Northfield,  Mass.,  in  1842.  Following  this,  William  Cooper,  of  Bcston, 
assisted  l)y  Jonathan  Huntington,  a  well  known  music  teacher  of  North- 
ampton, published,  in  1804,  The  Ihauties  of  Cliurcli  Music  and  Sior  Guide 
to  the  Art  of  Sinewing.  In  1S05,  Gushing  and  Appleton,  of  Salem,  pub- 
lished The  Salem  Collection,  of  124  pages,  with  a  selection  of  some  .seveJity 
tunes  by  a  committee  of  the  congregation  of  Dr.  Prince.  In  this  work 
reference  is  made  to  'The  Massachusetts  Compiler  (of  Gram,  Holjoke  and 
Holden,  1795)  as  (me  of  the  most  valuable  existing  musical  publications. 
In  1805,  Jeremiah  Ingalls,  at  Exeter,  N.  H.,  published  The  Christia7i 
Harmony;  or.  Songster  s  Companion,  containing  some  two  hundred  pages. 
Ingalls  was  a  violoncellist  of  some  merit,  and  a  tenor  singer,  but  did  not 
make  n  luxurious  living  out  of  his  art,  as  he  had  to  combine  the  teaching 
of  singing  schools  in  the  evenings  with  work  at  his  trade  of  cooper  by  day. 

39 


In  the  same  year  appeared,  by  Stephen  Jenlcs,  of  New  Canaan,  Conn., 
The  Delights  of  Harmony:  or,  Norfolk  Compiler,  which  is  described  on  the 
title  page  as  "A  new  collection  of  psalm  tunes,  hymns  and  antliems,  with 
a  variety  of  set  pieces  from  the  most  appro\'ed  American  and  European 
authors,  likewise  the  necessary  rules  of  Psalmody  made  easy.  The  whole 
particularly  designed  for  the  use  of  singing  schools  and  nuisical  societies 
in  the  United  States."  To  this  book  Mr.  Jenks  himself  contributed 
twenty-six  pieces,  the  balance  of  selections  being  all  American.  In  1806 
Abijah  Forbush  produced  Tlir  Psalmodisrs  Assistaiif,  including,  with  a 
choice  collection,  108  original  melodies.  In  1807,  Prof.  John  Hubbard, 
of  Dartmouth  College,  founder  of  the  Handel  Society  of  that  college, 
delivered  an  essay  on  music  before  the  Middlesex  Musical  Society. 
Already,  it  will  be  observed,  musical  societies  appear  to  be  of  recognized 
importance,  as  shown  by  this  address,  as  well  as  b}-  the  title  of  Stephen 
Jenks'  Dilig/ifs  of  /faniiony.  This  lecture  evinces  a  high  degree  of 
acquaintance  with  the  cesthetics  of  music,  and  in  it  he  bewails  the  fruit- 
fulness  of  ambitious  dullness.  He  says:  "Almost  every  pedant,  after 
learning  the  eight  notes,  has  commenced  author.  With  a  genius  sterile 
as  the  deserts  of  Arabia,  he  has  attempted  to  rival  the  great  masters  of 
music.  On  the  leaden  wing  of  dullness  he  has  attempted  to  soar  into 
those  regions  of  science  never  penetrated  but  by  real  genius.  From  such 
distempered  imaginations  no  regular  productions  can  be  expected. 
The  unhappy  writers,  after  torturing  every  note  in  the  octave,  have  fallen 
in  oblivion  and  have  generally  outlived  their  insignificant  works."  This 
harsh  and  wholesale  condenniation  of  native  effort  was  doubtless  not  with- 
out some  measure  of  justification,  j'et  it  evidently  .sought  the  opposite 
extreme  to  the  fault  which  it  aimed  to  correct.  Again,  in  August,  of  the 
same  year,  Francis  Brown,  in  an  address  before  the  Handel  Society  of 
Dartmouth  College,  assails  the  prevailing  style  of  church  music  and 
explains  its  shortcomings  by  saying  that  ' '  The  greater  part  of  those  in  our 
country  who  have  undertaken  to  write  music  have  been  ignorant  of  its 
nature.  Their  pieces  have  little  variety  and  little  meaning.  *  *  *  As 
they  are  written  without  &\\y  meaning  they  are  jx-Tfonned  without 
expression.  *  *  *  Another  very  serious  fault  in  the  greater  part  of 
American  music  denominated  sacred,  is  that  its  movements  and  air  are 
calculated  rather  to  provoke  levity  than  to  enkindle  devotion."  Brown 
claims  for  American  musical  talent  as  much  merit  as  attaches  to  that  of 
the  Europeans,  but  he  says:  "Our  best  musicians,  in.stead  of  being 
awakened  to  exertion  by  call  for  .splendid  talents,  have  Ixen  discouraged 
by  the  increasing  prevalence  of  a  corrupt  taste."  He  traces  this  evil  to 
these  causes :    ist,   the  passion   for  novelty ;    2d,   the  antipathy  of  the 


higher  classes,  more  particularly  ladies,  to  taking  i)art  in  tlic  imisic  of  the 
sanctuar>-  ;  3d,  the  lack  of  attention  to  the  character  and  qualifications 
of  the  instructors. 

In  1809  Joel  Harmon,  Jr.,  at  Northampton,  Mass.,  publi.shed  the 
Columbia  Sacred  Minstrel ,  a  book  of  .some  eighty  pages,  containing  original 
melodies  in  three,  four,  five  and  six-part  airs.  Harmon,  a  resident  of 
Pawlet,  \'t. ,  had  undertaken  to  reform  those  features  of  church  music 
which  supplanted  dignity  with  levity,  and  in  his  preface  he  states : 
"  It  is  with  plea.sure  that  the  author  discovers  that  fuguing  music  is  gen- 
erall)-  disapproved  of  by  almost  every  person  of  correct  taste."  In  18 12 
appeared  at  Boston,  published  by  Brown,  Mitchell  and  Holt,  the  Templi 
Carmijia;  or.  Songs  of  the  Temple,  afterward  called  The  Ihidgewater 
Collection,  a  book  of  350  pages,  which  had  an  extensive  popularitj-,  a'ld 
was  the  most  important  publication  between  Billings  and  Mason.  From 
this  work  all  tunes  of  American  origin  were  eliminated,  all  the  tunes  and 
anthems  being  taken  from  English  sources.  In  18 13  David  Pool  and 
Josiah  Holbrook,  music  teachers  of  Abington,  R.  I.,  published  The 
American  and  European  Harmony;  or,  Abin^rfon  Collection  of  Sacred 
Music,  and  in  the  same  jear  appeared  The  Villaq;e  Harmony;  or.  Youth's 
Assistant  to  Saard  Music.  This  work  went  through  no  less  than  seven- 
teen editions.  It  contained  350  pages,  and  in  his  "  general  observ^ations, " 
the  aullior  gives  these  directions  :  "  When  a  tune  is  well  learnt  b\-  note 
it  may  be  sung  by  words.  Pronounce  every  word  as  distinctlj'  as  possible. 
Never  r,ing  through  the  lYose,  for  that  will  spoil  the  voice,  ruake  the 
music  disagreeable,  and  have  a  disgusting  effect  upon  the  hearer."  In 
1815  the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society  was  organized,  being  incor- 
porated in  18 1 6,  and  in  this  year  gave  its  official  recommendation  to  The 
Bridge-water  Collection.  In  the  .same  year  Timothy  Flint,  at  Cincinnati, 
O.,  published  a  book  of  two  hundred  pages,  which  he  called  The 
Columbian  Harmonist.  Rev.  Samuel  Willard,  of  Greenfield,  Mass.,  in 
18 18,  published  the  Dcerfield  Collection  of  Sacred  Music,  in  which  he 
introduces  some  quaint  and  remarkable  ideas  —  such  as  that  three  varieties 
of  time  can  be  made  to  answer  all  the  purposes  of  nine;  that  the  vowels 
must  not  be  prolonged,  and  that  the  singers  should  "suspend  the  time 
of  a  movement  and  shorten  the  notes  wherever  a  pause  would  be  required 
in  good  reading."  E.  Goodale,  at  Hallowcll,  Me.,  in  1S19,  published  The 
Hallo-well  Collection  of  Sacred  Music,  andjonatlian  M.  Wainwright,  A.  M., 
of  Hartford,  Conn.,  issued  his  work,  entitled  Chants,  "adapted  to  the 
hynuis  in  the  morning  and  evening  service  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal church."  He  introduces  this  work,  in  the  preface,  by  saying: 
"Metrical  music  is  but  a  modem  invention,  and  adds  nothing  to  true 


devotion  and  the  worship  of  God;  the  conceit  of  versifying  the  psahns, 
though  it  seems  in  some  degree  to  unite  the  pecuHar  advantages  of  the 
anthem  and  chant,  in  no  less  degree  excludes  the  excellences  and  effects  of 
both;  and  owes  its  success  not  so  much  to  its  propriet)-  and  fitness  for  the 
holy  sanctuary  as  to  its  gratifying  the  natural  propensity  of  mankind  to 
be  pleased  with  rhymes  and  meter."  And  now  the  piano-forte  began  to 
assert  its  importance  and  to  demand  attention  of  musical  authors.  In 
1820  E.  Riley,  New  York,  published  Vocal  Melodies,  a  collection  of  foreign 
airs  adapted  to  American  words  and  arranged  for  the  pianoforte,  the 
music  being  engraved,  and  published  in  numbers  of  eight  quarto  pages, 
the  whole  work  eml)racing  twelve  numbers.  In  1820,  also  we  note  the 
publishing  of  The  Western  Minstrel,  hy  A.  C.  Heinrich,  of  Kentucky, 
author  of  the  Dazvnin<r  of  Musie.  This  was  a  .selection  of  songs  and  airs 
for  voice  and  pianoforte,  and  Heinrich  says  of  it :  "  If  I  sliould  be  able 
by  this  effort  to  create  one  single  star  in  the  west,  no  one  would  be  ever 
more  proud  than  myself  to  be  called  an  .hneriean  musician." 

We  have  here  traced  the  uneventful  course  of  psalmody  up  to  the 
time  of  the  appearance  of  Lowell  Mason  upon  the  scene.  The  same 
activity  had  been  developed  in  New  York,  Boston  and  Philadelphia  in  the 
larger  forms  of  music,  but  these  aspects  of  progress  will  be  more  appro- 
priately dealt  with  in  another  department.  It  will  be  recalled  that  Francis 
Brown  in  1S09  .struck  directly  at  the  root  of  the  difficulty  at  that  time 
in  ihe  wa>'  of  successful  effort  and  true  direction  in  musical  life,  when  he 
deplored  the  ab.sence  of  incentive  through  the  "prevalence  of  a  corrupt 
taste. ' '  The  truth  \Vas  really  that  there  was  no  generally  cultivated  musical 
taste  at  all  to  inspire  genius  to  its  greatest  results.  The  formation  of  a 
jiopular  musical  sentiment,  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  term,  as  the  broad 
foundation  of  the  musical  culture  of  the  future  was  to  be  the  work  of  a 
master  spirit  who  now  appeared  upon  the  stage  in  the  person  of  Lowel 
Mason.  ' 


CHAPTER    IV. 

Lowici.i,  Mason,  Foi-nder  oi"  Xatioxai,  Mrsic. 

I^N  the  advancement  of  every  art  and  every  interest  it  is  the  unvarj''- 
ing  experience  that  from  time  to  time  men  are  raised  up  by  an 
Y  overruling  destiny  for  the  performance  of  a  work  wider  than  any 
personal  ambition  of  their  own  and  of  more  far-reaching  influence 
than  their  l)rightest  dreams  might  suggest.  As  Wilhara  Billings,  in 
his  time,  was  the  apostle  of  a  musical  progress  which  in  its  day 
marked  a  great  advance  upon  anN-thing  that  had  preceded  it,  so  when  the 
time  was  ripe  for  a  second  era  of  musical  development,  we  find  a  new 
instrument  of  progress  in  the  person  of  Lowell  Mason,  to  whose  labors  and 
efforts  are  due  a  debt  of  gratitude,  on  account  of  the  grand  results  to 
which  they  paved  the  way — results  that  it  is  yet,  perhaps,  too  earh'  to 
estimate,  but  that  are  clearly  and  undeniably  perceptible,  and  are  readilj' 
acknowledged  by  the  broadest  minds  to-day  in  American  musical  culture. 
In  the  general  progress  of  art  there  are  so  many  figures  of  interest  and 
importance  —  so  many  factors  converging  toward  the  common  center  of  a 
higher  stage  of  evolution,  that  it  is  ofttimes  difficult  to  credit  to  its  due 
and  proper  source,  the  origin  or  fonnulation  of  a  higher  creed.  The  pro- 
gress of  one  art  student  merges  insensiblj-  into  the  labors  of  another, 
neither  constituting  in  itself  a  complete  factor,  but  united  forming  a  chain 
of  influences  which  ultimately,  through  the  special  effort  of  some  master 
mind,  have  their  fruition  in  the  removal  of  the  whole  stage  of  musical 
activity  to  a  distinctly  higher  plane.  The  work  of  Billings  was  elaborated 
and  elevated  by  many  contemporary  and  subsequent  workers  in  the  same 
field  of  musical  cultivation  —  Law,  Hastings,  Hooker,  Gram,  Little,  etc., 
—  but  until  the  time  of  Lowell  Mason  there  was  no  master  spirit  to  give 
new  direction,  new  ambition  and  new  object  and  aims  to  the  career  of 
musical  progress.  True,  he  had  Ijeen  closely  preceded  in  influence  by 
Thomas  Hastings,  the  results  of  whose  services  to  music  as  a  purely 
devotional  art  are  not  to  be  underestimated.     Hastings  was  born  in  Litch- 


field,  Conn.,  Oct.  15,  17VS7.  He  dLHlicatcd  liiiuself  early  to  musie,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six  became  a  niemlxT  of  tlie  Handel  and  Haydn  Society, 
of  Utica,  N.  Y.,  the  existence  of  which  may  be  mentione<l,  tn  passant,  as  an 
evidence  of  progressing  mnsical  taste  developing  into  cnltnre.  In  con- 
j miction  with  Warriner,  of  that  place,  in  1822,  he  published  Musica  Sana, 
which  after  became  merged  with  the  S/>ri>ii^fuld  CoIUtHoh.  In  the  same 
year  he  published  a  /^issirtaiioii  on  J/itsira/  Taslc,  which  he  afterward  in 
1853  republished  in  an  enlarged  form,  but  with  many  modifications  of  his 
first  views  uyton  the  icsthetic  grounds  of  music.  The  .scope  of  Hastings' 
usefulness  was  limited  by  his  extreme  views  regarding  the  subordination 
of  the  objects  of  nuisic  to  the  purpo.ses  of  religious  devotion.  He  made 
the  error  of  suj)posing  the  highest  and  the  broadest  function  of  music  to 
be  that  of  exemplifying  gospel  teachings,  rather  than  its  real  mission  of 
beautifying  and  elevating  religion,  in  common  with  every  other  civilizing 
influence.  As  he  himself  slated,  he  was  "  not  willing  to  acknowledge  excel- 
lence in  any  music  of  this  kind  [oratorio]  any  further  than  it  can  be  made 
to  subserve  the  great  ends  of  religious  edification."  The  earnestness  and 
sincerity  of  a  pious  nature  cut  short  his  true  appreciation  of  the  beauty  of 
the  art.  In  short,  he  failed  to  realize  that  music,  the  highest  language  of 
the  emotions,  cannot  be  cut  down  to  the  pattern  of  any  creed  or  dogma, 
but  lives  to  brighten  and  l)eautify  every  aspect,  every  instinct,  every  am- 
bition and  every  aspiration  and  sentiment  of  the  nobler  elements  of  human 
life.  Yet  the  impress  of  his  usefulness  was  neither  narrow  nor  unim- 
portant. He  did  nuich  to  promote  correct  singing  of  established  church 
nuisic,  and  supplied  new  and  original  work  characterized  by  general  cor- 
rectness of  hamioiiy.  He  published  many  collections  of  psalm  tunes  and 
books  of  elementary  in.struction,  and  was  the  author  of  versification  that 
indicates  more  than  ordinary  talent  in  that  branch  of  niusico-literar>'  activ- 
ity. In  1832  he  settled  in  New  York,  and  the  balance  of  his  lifetime, 
which  lasted  till  May  2,  1872,  was  devoted  to  the  improvement  of  church 
choir  music  according  to  his  light. 

Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  who  entered  the  sphere  of  musical  activity  almost 
contemporaneously  with  Hastings,  was  a  man  of  broader  mind  and  higher 
literary  qualifications.  His  ideas  of  art  were  not  restricted  by  the  limita- 
tions which  characterized  the  activity  of  Hastings.  His  musical  ambition 
was  unfettered  by  the  conventional  restrictions  which  bounded  and  defined 
the  labor  of  the  latter.  He  introduced  him.self  into  musical  life  with  a 
distinct  and  well  defined  goal,  and  he  labored  with  zeal  and  intelligence 
until  he  had  seen  effected  a  complete  revolution  in  the  character  and  ob- 
jects of  all  musical  activity  in  America.  He  was  born  in  Medfield,  Mass., 
Jan.  8,    1792.      From  childhood  he  had   manifested  an   intense  love   for 


music,  .and  had  devoted  all  his  si)are  time  and  effort  to  improving  himself 
according  to  such  opportunities  as  were  available  to  him.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  found  himself  filling  a  clerkship  in  a  banking  house  in  Savan- 
nah, Ga.  Here  he  lost  no  opportunity  of  gratifying  his  passion  for  mu- 
sical advancement,  and  was  fortunate  also  to  meet  for  the  first  time  a 
thoroughly  qualified  instructor,  in  the  person  of  F.  L.  Abel,  probably  a 
menii)er  of  the  noted  Knglish  nuisical  family  of  that  name.  Applying  his 
spare  hours  assiduously  to  the  cultivation  of  the  pursuit  to  which  his  pas- 
sion inclined  him,  he  soon  acquired  a  ])roficiency  that  enabled  him  to  enter 
the  field  of  original  composition,  and  his  first  work  of  this  kind  was  em- 
bodied in  llie  compilation  of  a  collection  of  church  music.  The  founda- 
tion of  this  work  he  had  in  the  Sacred  Melodies  of  William  Gardner,  an 
English  composer,  who  had  created  many  psalm  tunes  of  exquisite  melody 
by  incorporating  in  their  construction  musical  ideas  gathered  from  Haydn 
and  Mozart.  With  .selections  from  these  were  included  many  of  young 
Mason's  own  productions,  and  the  book,  as  a  whole,  in  manuscript,  was 
offered  first  to  a  Philadelphia  publisher,  and  afterward  to  tho.se  of  Boston, 
without  success.  Just  at  this  critical  moment,  when  he  was  to  about  return 
with  his  unappreciated  MvSS.  to  his  desk  at  Savannah,  it  was  fortunately 
brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  and 
after  securing  the  a])j5ro\-al  of  Dr.  G.  K.  Jack.son,  who  added  to  it  some 
work  of  his  own,  it  was  finalh-  published  in  1822  as  the  Boston  Handel 
and  Haydn  Society  Collection  of  Music.  It  sprang  soon  into  universal 
popularity-,  being  at  once  adopted  b>-  the  singing  schools  of  New  England, 
and  through  this  means  entering  into  the  church  clioirs,  to  whom  it  opened 
uj)  a  higher  field  of  harmonic  beauty.  Its  career  of  success  ran  through- 
some  seventeen  editions.  Mason  had  now  found  the  true  sphere  of  his 
life  labor.  He  .soon  removed  from  vSavannah  to  Boston,  and  in  1S26  we 
find  him  prominent  and  admired,  lecturing  upon  church  music  and  ad- 
vocating reforms  calculated  to  elevate  the  musical  tone  of  this  important 
feature  of  pul)lic  worship,  in  which  he  rendered  eminent  and  lasting 
.service.  One  of  his  lectures  on  this  subject  was  published,  and  attract- 
ing the  favorable  attention  of  the  press,  was  given  a  wide  field  of  cir- 
culation, and  his  ideas  of  musical  reform  were  thus  di.sseminated  in  the 
most  direct  and  effective  manner,  reaching  out  bej^ond  tlie  limit  open  to 
any  individual  activity.  Mr.  Mason's  central  idea,  however,  was  the 
promulgation  and  diffusion  of  improved  musical  knowledge  by  means  of 
the  introduction  of  the  study  of  music  in  the  public  schools.  His  saga- 
cious mind  recognized  that  the  most  effective  means  and  the  most  direct 
route  to  the  building  up  of  a  general  musical  cultivation  l)ased  upon  sound 
musical  knowledge  and  appreciation  were  to  be  attained  bv  infusing,  upon 


ny\^-c-/j^    v.-'fji^,<:.^^^/^<2<_ 


true  iJiincipk-s,  a  taste  for  musical  cultivation  into  the  education  of  the 
youth  of  the  land.  He  foresaw  that  tlius  would  Ije  founded  an  influence 
that  would  in  a  few  brief  years  afford  a  broad  foundation  for  higher  mu- 
sical effort,  upon  which  the  natural  and  symmetrical  growth  of  the  art  in 
America  might  be  left  safely  to  depend.  Whatever  of  purely  art  ambition 
he  himself  may  have  entertained,  he  set  aside  for  the  accomplishment  of  a 
purpose  of  broader  utility,  and  he  thereafter  devoted  the  labor  of  his  life 
to  the  preparation  of  a  musical  soil  in  which  for  all  the  future  there  might 
be  the  germinating  influence  of  true  and  healthy  growth  and  progress. 
By  1830  he  had  formulated  his  plan  in  which  he  had  the  ready  and  earnest 
co-operation  of  George  J.  Webb,  Hon.  Samuel  Eliot  and  other  gentlemen, 
of  Boston,  who  had  for  some  time  been  interested  by  him  in  the  importance 
of  cultivating  mu.sical  talent  and  awakening  musical  taste.  Just  at  this 
juncture  an  incident  occurred  which  introduced  to  Mr.  Mason  a  new  and 
powerful  element  of  progress,  and  gave  a  somewhat  different  bent  from 
that  which  he  had  contemplated,  to  tfie  cour.se  of  his  effort.  William  C. 
Woodbridge,  an  American  teacher  of  high  repute  as  an  earnest  and  success- 
ful educator,  had  been  compelled  to  visit  Europe  for  the  restoration  of 
health,  .shattered  by  too  close  application  to  his  labors.  He  made  use  of 
the  opportunities  opened  up  by  this  tour  to  make  a  study  of  European 
educational  iiistitutions,  with  the  view  of  incorporating  into  the  American 
common  school  system  such  elements  of  improvement  as  he  found  useful 
and  practicable.  While  thus  engaged  in  examining  into  the  Pestalozzian 
system  of  education  as  practiced  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  he  became 
especialh-  impressed  with  the  importance  of  music  as  an  educational  fiictor. 
In  short,  he  became  convinced  by  his  observation  there  of  the  practicabil- 
it}'  and  advantage,  upon  other  than  purely  musical  grounds,  of  a  system, 
which  Dr.  Mason  had  at  home  already  shaped  out  as  the  highest  means  to 
the  end  of  musical  progress. 

On  returning  home,  Mr.  Woodbridge  brought  over  the  ideas  of 
Pfeiffer,  Kobler  and  Nageli  on  this  .system  of  singing  instruction,  and  Mr. 
Mason  was  soon  convinced,  on  testing  the  capabilities  of  the  system,  that  it 
offered  an  admirable  means  to  insure  success  for  his  cherished  object  of 
incorporating  musical  instruction  in  public  school  education.  It  cannot 
be  said  that  he  accepted  this  innovation  upon  the  methods  to  which  he 
had  been  accustomed  .spontaneously.  His  nature  was  not  of  that  kind. 
While  he  was  progressive  he  was  also  intelligentl\-  con.servative.  He  had 
already  attained  phenomenal  success  as  a  teacher.  But  having  thoroughly 
tested  the  Pestalozzian  system,  he  became  convinced  of  its  great  advan- 
tages, and  was  thereafter  its  earnest  and  enthusiastic  promoter.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1832,  a  resolution  previously  submitted  to  the  primary  school  board 


bj'  G.  II.  SiRlling  was  adojjlcd  ;  "  That  one  schoul  Iroiii  each  district  be 
selected  for  the  introduction  of  systematic  instruction  in  vocal  music," 
etc.  This  experiment  received  only  a  j)artial  trial,  and  Dr.  Mason  became 
convinced  tliat  it  was  necessary  for  tlie  success  of  tliis  movement  that 
more  potent  influences  be  brought  to  bear  in  shaping  public  opinion  as  an 
influence  with  the  educational  authorities.  He  himself  organized  gratu- 
itous classes  for  children,  and  gave  concerts  illustrating  tlieir  proficiency 
and  the  practicability  of  his  .scheme  for  primary  musical  education,  the 
proceeds  of  which  were  devoted  to  public  charities.  Thus  popular  interest 
and  .sympatliy  became  aroused.  He  had  l)een  since  1S27  president  of  the 
Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  but  as  the  work,  useful  and  important 
in  its  results,  of  this  organization  was  concentrated  nixm  the  develojiment 
of  taste  for  classical  nnisic,  he  decided  to  organize  a  separate  society  for 
the  promotion  of  liis  object.  In  1831  he  declined  re-election  in  the  old 
society,  and  in  1.S32  absolutely  refused  to  .serve  longer,  that  he  might 
devote  unrestricted  effort  to  tlie  new  work.  He  enlisted  the  co-oi>eration 
of  George  J.  W'ebl)  and  Hon.  S.  A.  Ivliot,  as  above  mentioned,  and  in 
company  with  other  gentlemen  organized  the  Boston  Academy  of  Music, 
in  whose  name  was  thereafter  carried  on  the  work  in  which  Dr.  Mason 
was  in  reality  the  central  and  pivotal  figure.  In  fact,  lie  was  the  vital 
force  of  the  .society  during  the  course  of  its  existence  for  progress  and  usc- 
fulne.ss.  Dr.  Mason  relinquished  a  lucrative  situation  to  devote  his  whole 
time  to  the  instruction  of  the  classes,  and  Mr.  Webb,  at  that  time  organist 
of  St.  Paul's  church,  was  .secured  as  assistant  professor.  The  first  report 
of  the  society  says  : 

In  order  to  excite  the  iiUerest  and  coiit"i(leiK-e  of  the  public  two  j-.iveiiile  con- 
certs were  jfiven  in  the  sprinj;  of  1S.'{:{  at  which  llie  performances  were  exclusively  by 
the  pupils  of  Mr.  Mason.  The  repetition  of  both  was  calleil  for.  and  the  crowded  ami 
attentive  audiences  gave  ample  evidence  of  the  satisfaction  which  was  felt. 

In  this  year  the  whole  number  of  pupils  in  charge  of  the  academy 

exceeded  1,500,   Dr.   Mason  teaching  400  and  Mr.  Webb  150,  in  regular 

cla.s.ses,  and  each  having  stipplementary  clas.scs.     It  t<x)k  time,  however, 

even  with  the  demonstration  of  results  given  by  frequent  public  concerts, 

to  remove  prejudices,  and  it  was  not  till  September,  1836,  that  the  school 

board,  on  jx;titions  from  the  citizens,  authorized  the  introdtiction  of  music 

in  the  public  schools,  and  even  then  the  city  council  failed  to  make  the 

necessary  appropriation.     Dr.  Mason,  however,  had  practically  attained  his 

end.     Financial  olyect  was  nothing  to  him,  and  his  proposition  to  teach  in 

one  of  the  schools  for  one  year,  free  of  charge,  was  accepted,  and  he  not  otily 

did  this,  but  furnished  his  pupils  with  the  necessar>-  lx>oks  and  materials 

at  his  own  expense.     The  result  was  a  report  of  the  committee  on  music,  in 

August,  1S3.S.  which  testified  to  the  entire  success  of  the  experiment,  and 


said  :  "The  committee  will  add,  on  the  authority  of  the  masters  of  the 
Hawes  school,  that  the  scholars  are  further  advanced  in  their  other  studies 
at  the  end  of  this  than  of  anj- other  school  year."  As  a  result,  now  seven 
years  after  the  enterprise  was  first  taken  in  hand  by  Dr.  Mason,  of  his 
unselfish  and  generous  labors,  a  work  was  accomplished  who.se  influence 
has  ever  since  been  felt,  and  continues  to  expand  in  the  sphere  of  its 
beneficent  operation,  throughout  the  whole  United  States.  In  the  last  j-ear 
mentioned  music  was  formally  adopted  in  Boston  as  a  public  study.  Dr. 
Mason  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  direction  of  the  work,  and  the  school 
committee  in  their  report  of  1S39  justly  say  :  "It  may  be  regarded  as 
the  Magna  Charta  of  muscal  education  in  America."  Thus  was  founded 
a  factor  in  musical  development  which  not  only  endures,  but  takes  added 
vigor  with  age,  and  1)orrows  fresh  strength  from  each  new  demand 
upon  its  re.sources  ;  the  circle  of  its  influence  is  ever  widening,  and  it 
gathers  power  for  the  advancement  of  the  art  of  music  with  every 
added  responsibility.  From  Boston,  as  an  example,  and  at  first  by  the 
direct  activity  of  Dr.  Mason  personally,  the  use  of  musical  education 
in  the  schools  was  copied,  and  to-day  is  the  universal  rule  in  every  enlight- 
ened communit}-.  Thus  in  Dr.  Mason's  labors  were  founded  the  germi- 
nating principles  of  a  national  musical  intelligence  and  knowledge,  and 
afforded  a  .soil  upon  which  all  higher  musical  culture  has  been  founded. 
The  desire  for  musical  advancement  thus  established,  and  the  capacity 
created  for  appreciation  of  the  higher  mission  of  the  art,  has  been  the 
fallow  field  in  which  all  subsequent  endeavor  has  been  rooted,  and 
to  which  whatever  success  that  may  have  attended  the  labors  of  those 
musicians  who  have  turned  the  advantages  of  foreign  education  into  a 
.source  of  income  are  due;  and  yet  we  find  main-  to-da}-,  who  are  substan- 
tially reapnig  the  pecuniary  benefits  of  the  broad  and  general  elementary 
culture  upon  true  mu.sical  principles  for  which  Dr.  Mason  prepared  and 
made  easy  the  waj*,  endeavoring  to  undermine  and  belittle  the  true 
greatness  whose  labors  have  led  to  results  .so  important. 

Dr.  Mason,  however,  was  not  a  man  of  a  single  idea.  His  mental 
activity  sought  other  fields  of  nuisical  u.sefulne.ss.  Having  prepared  a 
book  of  instruction  for  teachers  of  vocal  music,  published  as  the  Afanual 
of  the  Boston  Academy  of  Music,  itself  a  novel  idea  at  that  time,  he  was 
led  to  formulate  a  plan  for  the  convening  of  classes  of  teachers,  in  which 
they  might  be  trained  to  better  methods,  and  profit  by  interchange  of 
experience.  The  first  of  these  clas.ses,  which  developed  into  the  "  Teach- 
ers" Conventions,"  was  formed  of  twelve  members.  B\-  1S38,  the  class 
had  included  representation  from  ten  states,  and  numbered  134  teachers. 
So  evident  was  the  u.sefulness  of  this  institution  that  demand  soon  arose 


for  professors  from  tlic  acaclciin-  to  lioltl  classes  in  other  cities,  and  thus 
arose  the  "  Musical  Conventions,"  which  shortly  began  to  be  an  important 
factor  in  shaping  tlie  course  of  musical  devel(ii>nient.  It  gradually  assim- 
ilated modern  nuisical  ideas  ;  its  assembly  of  the  best  talent  in  a  state  or 
district  enabled  the  production  of  a  higher  class  of  music,  and  thus, 
through  its  means,  the  past  generation  became  first  actpiainted  with  the 
beauties  of  the  standard  choruses  of  the  great  oratorios  ;  and  it  was  the  fore- 
runner of  the  later  nuisical  festival,  and  made  possible  such  events  as  the 
Peace  Jubilees  of  subsequent  date.  The  career  of  nuisical  conventions  will 
be  elsewhere  dealt  with;  meanwhile,  let  us  revert  to  the  work  which 
he  performed  for  church  music.  Up  to  the  time  when  he  formulated  the 
Ifandcl  a/id  Haydn  Collection,  sacred  music  was  in  an  anomalous  and 
unsatisfactory  condition.  The  old  tunes  were  :  iing  without  musical 
training  or  system,  each  singer  following  the  bent  of  his  own  musical 
fancy.  With  the  introduction  of  the  "fugue  tunes"  came  confusion 
worse  confounded,  since  composers  who  possessed  natural  talent  without 
cultivation  or  knowledge  of  the  rules  of  harmony,  made  each  a  law  unto 
himself,  and  flooded  the  time  with  compositions  of  chaotic  imperfection, 
and  destructive  of  true  musical  taste.  Dr.  Mason,  in  his  book  above 
mentioned,  reformed  these  abuses  by  presenting  harmonies  so  attractive 
as  to  recall  the  wandering  musical  talent  of  the  day  from  the  paths  in 
which  it  had  been  astraj-.  His  Carmina  Sacra,  the  most  popular  tune 
book  ever  put  in  print,  appealed  so  powerfully  to  musical  instinct,  and 
opened  up  such  a  field  of  pure  musical  delight,  that  it  permanently  con- 
firmed American  musical  taste  in  the  higher  and  better  style  of  sacred 
music.  So  strongly  did  it  appeal  to  the  innate  sense  of  musical  pro- 
priety, that  its  sale  reached  half  a  million  copies,  and  in  every  quarter  of 
the  Union  singing  schools  sprang  up  to  practice  and  share  in  the  new  field 
of  harmonic  beauty,  to  which  it  opened  the  way. 

A  reference  to  this  branch  of  his  work  would  not  be  complete  without 
drawing  attention  to  the  truly  religious  sentiment  which  characterized 
this  branch  of  his  work.  The  solenniity  and  devotional  meaning  of  his 
sacred  music  was  the  predominating  thought,  both  in  his  composition  and 
in  his  teaching.  His  church  music  was  not  only  a  musical  ser\ice,  but  in 
this  respect  was  subordinate  to  its  higher  devotional  meaning.  He 
believed  that  such  nuisic  could  be  only  truly  interpreted  by  those  partici- 
pating in  it  entering  truly  and  sincerely  into  its  religious  meaning.  This 
idea  is  scoffed  at  by  Dr.  Ritter,  who  speaks  about  Dr.  Mason's  "semi- 
amateurish  ideas  about  church  music."  Yet  it  is  the  true  principle  and 
fundamental  element  of  legitimate  art  that  the  interpreter  must  enter  into 
and  surrender  himself  to  the  emotional  meaning  of  the  music.      Dr. 


Mason's  wisdom  was  higher  than  that  of  his  critic,  even  from  the  strictly 
art  standpoint.  The  soul  oi  music  is  its  essence,  and,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  singer  wlio  realizes  and  feels  the  divine  ajjflatus  that  is  a  part  of 
the  nmsic  of  the  worsjliip  of  God,  must  be  incomparably  superior  in  the 
truth  and  fidelity  of  his  interpretation  to  him  who  is  but  the  cold  and 
unimpassioned  exemplificator  of  its  mechanical  art  features.  Had  Dr. 
^lason  sought  a  higlier  field  of  musical  activity,  that  is,  from  the  exacting 
view  of  modern  art,  he  would  undoubtedh'  have  satisfied  whatever  of 
personal  ambition  he  might  have  entertained  in  this  direction;  but  his 
useful  life  would  have  been  shorn  of  much  of  its  utility,  and  of  many 
of  those  important  results  which  followed  his  faithful  and  competent  labor 
upon  a  less  exalted  level. 

Of  the  real  intrinsic  merit  of  his  work  an  incident  will  give  a  fair 
idea  from  a  point  of  judgment  of  mucli  higher  authoritj'  than  of  his 
pseudo  American  critic :  Dr.  William  Mason  relates  that  while  he  was 
in  Leipzig,  his  father  sent  a  copy  of  a  new  book  of  his  to  him,  a  present 
to  Moritz  Hauptmann,  the  great  theorist,  and  William  Mason's  teacher  of 
harmony,  with  Lowell  Mason's  compliments.  W^illiam  Mason  was  morti- 
fied to  death  at  the  verj'  idea.  "What,"  he  a.skcd  himself,  "will  the 
great  Hauptmann  think  of  my  father  when  I  give  him  this  simple  book 
as  a  musical  production  ?  "  It  had  to  be  done.  So  he  took  the  book  and 
at  the  end  of  the  lesson,  at  the  very  minute  of  leaving  the  room,  he 
delivered  his  father's  message  and  the  book.  At  the  next  lesson  he  hoped 
Hauptmann  had  forgotten  all  about  it.  But  no.  Hauptmann  spoke  in 
praise  of  the  work,  saying  that  he  had  had  great  pleasure  in  looking  it 
over.  Besides  the  e.xtremeh-  well  made  elementary  department,  as  he 
said,  he  found  the  harmonies  of  the  tunes  dignified  and  churchlike,  and 
he  especially  complimented  the  author's  success  in  writing  good,  plain 
counterpoint,  which  was  at  the  same  time  singable  and  melodious,  as  well 
as  dignified.  He  added  that  this  was  one  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  in 
musical  composition,  and  that  many  musicians  failed  in  it  whose  scholastic 
attainments  were  of  a  high  order. 

The  ground  we  have  here  traversea  will  show  the  three  great  respects 
in  which  Lowell  Mason  stands  in  important  relation  to  American  music. 
First:  His  books  of  psalmody  were  the  first  works  of  their  kind  published 
in  this  country  which  were  respectable  from  a  musical  standpoint.  That 
they  met  and  satisfied  the  public  desire  for  a  better  element,  is  plain  from 
their  immediate  success,  and  from  the  large  number  of  tunes  in  all  the 
hymn  and  tune  books  derived  from  his  works  still  sung  in  all  Protestant 
churches.  Second  :  The  personality  of  Dr.  Mason  was  of  great  use  to  the 
art  of  music  in  this  countr>-,  or  rather  to  the  American  appreciation  of  it. 


He  was  of  a  strung  mind,  dignified  manners,  yet  sweet  and  engaging; 
religious,  and  of  so  commanding  a  mind  that  he  would  have  carried  weight 
in  any  line  he  might  have  chosen.  Hence  he  was  able  to  combine  t'.ie 
elements  of  public  and"  influential  support  for  music  teaching  in  the 
schools,  the  Boston  Academy,  and  his  great  choir,  as  well  a^  for  his  works. 
It  was  under  the  au.si)ices  of  the  Boston  Academy  that  a  Beethoven 
symphony  was  first  played  in  this  country  by  an  orchestra.  The  conductor 
was  Mr.  George  James  Webb,  author  of  the  well  known  hymn  tune, 
T//r  Morniuf^  Li^lit  is  /incikim;.  It  is  also  in  jjoint  that  all  the  subse- 
quent leaders  in  American  psalmody,  excepting  the  immediate  disciples  of 
Mr.  Hastings,  modeled  their  methods  and  their  manners  after  him. 
Third  :  As  a  musical  educator,  and  as  an  advocate  of  musical  instruction 
in  the  public  schools,  Lowell  Mason  did  a  great  work.  His  personality 
was  so  commanding  that  he  held  high  rank  as  lecturer  in  the  state  teachers' 
institutes,  lecturing  not  only  upon  nnisical  instruction,  but  upon  the 
Pestalozzian  ideas  in  general.  The  whole  apparatus  of  elementary  musical 
tenninology  was  very  much  improved  by  Mason,  and  the  singing  school 
method  has  been  bettered  little  or  none  since  his  time.  Mason  had 
a.spirations  higher  than  psalmody.  He  compiled,  doubtless  in  part  through 
Mr.  Webb's  co-operation  and  inspiration,  the  liostoii  Arademy  Collection  of 
Choniscs,  containing  such  Handelian  favorites  as  Hallelujah,  Hailstone,  The 
Horse  and  His  Rider,  the  favorite  chorus  from  Joshua,  Mozart's  Ciloria,  from 
Twelfth  .1/ass,  Haydn's  The  Heazens  are  Telling  in  short,  the  best 
things  in  the  chorus  repertory  —  and  later  editors  have  restricted  the  field 
instead  of  enlarging  it.  The.se  works  Mason  conducted  himself  and 
sought  not  only  proper  attack  and  the  externals  of  chorus  performance, 
but  also  good  musical  expression.  This  point  he  carried  to  high  degree. 
In  his  later  years,  in  1851  or  thereabouts,  he  held,  with  George  F.  Root, 
normal  cla.sses  at  North  Reading,  Ma.ss.,  lasting  three  months.  A  daily 
exercise  was  a  chorus  practice  upon  cla.ssical  choru.ses  and  Mendelssohn's 
part  songs.  The  voices  were  of  fine  qualit.\,  and  of  course  a  fine  degree 
of  sympathy  was  reached  by  this  daily  practice.  In  the  end  they  sang 
the  choruses  of  the  Messiah  and  other  things  about  as  well  as  they  have 
been  heard.  Musical  connoisseurs  came  from  great  distances  to  hear 
them,  among  others  the  celebrated  English  nuisic  publisher,  Mr.  James 
Alfred  Novello,  who  .said  without  reserve  that  he  had  never  heard  any- 
thing so  well  done.  Mr.  Root  tells  of  one  occasion  when  the  chorus 
Behold  the  Lamb  of  dod  was  in  study,  Mason  was  very  much  aujioyed  at 
the  stiffness  and  inexpre.ssive  manner  of  its  delivery.  He  talked  to  the 
cla.ss,  in  his  own  deeply  feeling  and  impressive  way,  of  the  pa.ssion.  After 
talking,  they  would  try  to  sing  it  again.     At  length  he  affected  the  class 


almost  entirely  to  tears.  He  called  for  one  more  trial,  phrase  by  phrase, 
the  voices  singly.  One  of  the  altos,  more  affected  than  any  of  the  others, 
and  the  possessor  a  noble  voice,  gave  the  key.  She  sang  the  opening 
phrase,  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God  with  such  fer\'or,  Mr.  Root  siid,  that 
never  to  his  dying  day  would  he  forgent  it.  It  went  through  the  class 
like  an  electric  shock.  The  whole  chorus  was  then  sung  as  an  act  of 
worship,  and  the  hour  closed  with  silent  prayer.  It  was  his  depth  of 
religious  feeling,  and  his  earnestness,  as  well  as  his  capability  as  a  leader 
that  made  his  instruction  so  ins*,)iring.  A  scene  like  that  mentioned 
contrived  beforehand  would  liave  fallen  flat;  "  Mason  knew  how  to  control 
the  currents  of  feeling,  and  direct  them.  Of  his  work  in  the  musical 
conventions  W.  S.  B.  Mathews,  who  in  his  younger  da\s  caught  and 
benefited  by  the  Mason  enthusiasm,  tells  the  writer  :  Mason  was  a  natural 
teacher,  full  of  tact,  logical,  handy  with  crayon  at  the  blackboard,  and 
delightfully  simple  in  his  phraseology.  In  this  capacity  he  exerted  a 
great  influence.  He  used  to  go  as  far  west  as  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  meet 
choruses  of  500  voices,  many  of  them  teachers  of  singing  who  had  come 
100  miles  for  the  occasion.  I  used  to  meet  a  singing  teacher  in 
western  New  York  who  told  me  what  those  Rochester  meetings  were 
to  him.  He  was  a  plain  man,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  playing  the  violin  and 
melodeon,  and  singing  with  a  good  tenor  voice  and  teaching  classes  in 
winter.  His  enthusiasm  for  Handel  and  Haydn  and  Beethoven  (for 
Hallelujah  to  the  Father,  of  Beethoven,  was  in  the  Boston  Academy  book) 
was  equal  to  that  of  an  Englishman. 

Dr.  Mason  in  18 17  married  Miss  Abigail  Gregory,  of  Leesborough, 
Mass.  The  familj^  consisted  of  four  sons,  Daniel  Gregory,  Lowell,  Will- 
iam and  Henr\\  The  two  former  founded  the  publishing  house  of  Mason 
Brothers,  dissolved  by  the  death  of  the  former  in  1869.  Lowell  and  Henry 
are  at  the  head  of  the  great  organ  manufactory  of  Mason  &  Hamlin.  Dr. 
William  Mason  is  one  of  the  most  eminent  musicians  America  has  pro- 
duced. Dr.  Mason  visited  Europe  in  1837,  and  embodied  his  observations 
in  the  well  known  Musical  Letters,  and  again  in  1850  spent  nearly  two 
years  across  the  water.  In  1852  he  purchased  the  celebrated  musical 
library  of  Dr.  H.  C.  Rinck,  of  Darmstadt,  which  was  bequeathed  to  Yale 
College,  with  his  other  valuable  collections  of  musical  w^orks.  On  return- 
ing from  Europe  on  this  second  triji,  he  made  his  home  in  New  York,  and 
in  1854  established  the  home  of  his  later  days  at  "  vSilverspring,"  a  beau- 
tiful residence,  on  the  side  of  Orange  mountain,  New  Jersey,  where  he 
died  in  1872,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  His  autograph,  written  on  his 
eightieth  birthday,  will  be  found  on  the  sixth  page  of  this  book. 


CIIAITI'R     \'. 
Caki:i:k  oi'  ()im:ka  to   1S40. 

f"^.f  HILIC  music  was  struggliiit;  out  of  the  rL-strictiu);  iiillucnccs  of 
^^m    tlic  old  i)salin(Kly  system,  and  emerging  into  a  true  art  life,  wiiose 
V  s-y.r?   l)oun(laries  were  being  defined  by  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  there  had 
5P       arisen  a  faint  appreciation  of  the  operatic  form.      Before  tlie  war 
of  the  revolution  there  had  been  operatic  jiieces  given  in  Xew  York 
i)y  .straggling  companies  from   tlie  old   world.     John  Gay"s  A'lx'X'"''^' 
Opera    (London,    1727),   wliicli    attained  such     wide    ])oimlarity  in 
England,   was  performed  in  New  York  in    1750.      In    1751  the  pastoral 
Co/i>i  and  Pli<tbe  vas  sung  in  costume  by  Mrs.  Taylor  and  Mr.  Woodhani, 
and  was  accompanied  on  the  bill  with  the  farce.  A://  to  Pav.      In    1768 
P.ickerstafTs  comic  opera.  Loir  in  a  I'/Z/aor,  and  in  1773  his  opera,  Maid 
of  the  Mill,  were  produced,  witli  Miss  vStorer  as  tlie  star.     The  orchestras 
at  that  time  were  supplied  from  the  British  military  bands,  and  doubtless 
many  of  these  remained  to  give  direction  to  later  effort  in  this  branch  of 
nuisic.     After  the  revolution  Ivnglisli  oi)era  continued  a  fitful  and  unim- 
portant existence  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia  principally,  and  was  in 
favor  in  Charleston  and  Baltimore.      Dibdin's  Deserter,  in  1792  :  vShield's 
'f/ie  Farmer,    1793:  Storaces  A'o  Sono;,  Xo  Supper,  and   Dibdin's    The 
Waterman,  in  the  same  year  indicated  a  sufficient  appreciation  of  operatic 
performances  to  attract  professionals.     In  the  season  of  1793-94  a  new 
tlieatre  was  opened  at  Philadelphia,  with  Miss  Broadhurst,  from  Covent 
Garden,  London,  as  the  chief  attraction.     The  .same  .sea.son  witnessed  the 
production  of  a  number  of  popular  Knglish  operas  in  Xew  York.     There 
was  a  marked  improvement  in  the  orchestras.      That  at  Philadelphia  was 
led  by   Reiiiagle,   who  ])resided  at  the  harpsichord,  and    in    Xew  York 
James  Hewitt,    Hodgkinson,  actor  and   theatrical   manager,   and   fkH>rge 
Geilfert,  an  organist  and  music  teacher  of  local  popularity,  infused  iK-tter 
methods  and  recruited  the  performers  from  French  and  English   immi- 
grants.     In   1794-95  several  new  operas  of  Dibdin.  Arnold.  Storace  and 


Carter  wlix-  ])r()(liicccl,  and  at  this  time  I'enjamin  Carr,  an  ICnglisli  ballad 
singer  of  rei)ute,  settled  in  this  countrj-,  and  appeared  in  New  York  in 
Love  ill  a  \  'i//aq^(\  An  overture  of  his  composition  was  successfuU)-  per- 
formed l)y  a  band,  now  improved  t(j  respectal^le  proficiency.  Carr  later  on 
settled  in  Philadelphia  as  a  music  teacher,  where  about  1S15  he  published 
a  collection  of  the  ])opular  ballads  of  the  English  stage.  In  1796,  among 
other  operas  already  in  favor,  Reeve's  The  Purse,  Shield's  Robin  Hood, 
Arnold's  Tlic  Mountaineer  and  Attwood's  The  Prisoner  were  ]iresented. 
Miss  Broadhurst,  already-  mentioned,  and  Miss  Brett  were  the  popular 
singers  in  these  presentations.  In  December,  179S,  Mrs.  Oldmi.Kon,  who 
had  been,  as  Miss  George,  c.  London  favorite  in  operetta,  made  her  appear- 
ance in  Xew  York  in  Arnold's /;/ /.-A;  rt;/rf  ]'arieo,  and  became  a  popular 
favorite.  She  afterward,  on  leaving  the  stage,  settled  in  Philadelphia, 
where  she  established  an  academj'  for  j-oung  ladies.  In  1799  an  opera, 
by  ^'ictor  Pelissier,  a  cornetist  and  composer,  who  had  been  leader  of  the 
band  for  three  years  previous,  with  libretto  by  Dunlap,  entitled  'P/ic  I  Inl- 
aor,  was  performed  with  Mrs.  Oldmixon  in  the  title  role,  and  met  with 
.success  —  though  popularity'  at  that  time  was  no  test  of  excellence.  Eng- 
lish operas  and  operettas  continued  to  be  produced,  both  in  New  York  and 
Philadelphia.  About  1810  Charles  Geilfert,  leader  of  the  Park  Theatre 
orchestra,  came  into  ])rominence  as  composer  of  music  for  several  plays,  and 
also  for  his  .skill  in  arrangement  and  adaptation,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  did  good  ser\-ice  to  music.  In  18 13  tlie  works  of  Henry  Rowley 
Bishop,  the  famous  English  composer,  came  into  vogue,  and  in  1 8 16-17 
Charles  Incledon,  a  noted  ICnglisli  vocalist,  and  T.  Philips,  a  Dublin  singer, 
called  by  Kelly  in  his  reminiscences,  the  "very  best  acting  singer  on  the 
ICnglisli  stage,"  came  to  New  York,  and  gave  higher  tone  to  operatic  ])er- 
formances  for  a  time,  as  well  as  left  a  lasting  impression  for  good.  The 
former  returned  to  ICngland  in  iSiS.  Philips  made  a. second  visit  in  1823, 
and  sang  tlie  tenor  ])art  in  the  Messiah  on  its  first  complete  production  by 
the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  vSociety.  Pie  al.so  gave  a  course  of  lectures 
on  singing  in  Boston,  and  as  he  had  l)ecome  a  .sound  musician  under  the 
in.struction  of  the  celel)rate(l  Dr.  Arnold,  no  doubt  left  a  favorable  influ- 
ence U])on  the  course  of  musical  culture,  at  that  time  taking  definite  shape 
in  tlie  Bay  Cil> .  !']>  to  ii^23  many  Engli.sh  operas  continued  to  be  pro- 
duced, in  which  tl:e  nar.-.es  of  Philips,  Ricliings  and  Paerman,  Mi-s. 
Holman  and  Miss  Catherine  Leesugg  were  ])romineiit.  This  year  saw  the 
la.st  appearance  of  Philips  on  the  American  stage  in  the  Diicnna.  Also 
in  1823  for  the  first  time  was  given  John  Howard  Payne's  dramatic  ojiera, 
Clari,  tlie  Maid  of  Milan,  which  contained  the  now  world-famous  and 
perennial  fa\-orile  "  Home,  Sweet  Home."      Payne  was  born  in  New  York 


^crA^f'L^^^cri^-^A^  .^Uii^y^^^i^ 


ill  1792.  Wliilc  \  cl  a  I)<)y  cnii)loyecl  as  ck-rk  in  a  store  he  engaged  in  liter- 
ary work,  i)ublisliing  a  ])aiKr  called  The  Thespian  Mirror.  In  1S07 
he  for  a  time  edited  the  periodical,  Pastime.  In  1807  he  made  his 
ai)i)earance  on  the  stage,  and,  meeting  with  encouragement,  sailed  for 
England  and  appeared  at  Drury  Lane  Theatre  in  18 13.  There  he  was 
successful,  and  besides  67«/7  produced  several  operas  of  considerable  merit. 
He  returned  to  his  native  country  in  1832,  and  after  years  of  poverty  and 
neglect  was  given  an  appointment  as  United  States  consul  at  Tunis  in  1851, 
and  died  there  the  following  year.  Musical  ambition  began  to  grow,  and 
in  1S25  an  effort  was  made  to  produce  Dcr  Frcyschut~,  with  Miss  Kelly, 
sister  of  the  Irish  composer,  as  "Agatha,"  and  Mrs.  Luse,  wife  of  the 
then  leader  of  the  orchestra,  as  "Linda."  It  was  imperfectly  presented 
in  parts,  and  was  very  far  from  Weber's  conception,  or  from  the  perform- 
ances of  this  work  which  we  have  seen  in  American  cities  in  recent  3'ears  ; 
but  it  had  an  extensive  run  for  those  days,  and  doubtless  opened  up  a 
vision,  seen  from  afar,  of  the  better  and  brighter  world  of  music.  In  the 
same  year  Manuel  Garcia,  the  versatile  and  accomplished  Spanish  com- 
poser, singer  and  operatic  manager,  carried  into  effect  his  long-cherished 
design  of  founding  Italian  opera  in  New  York,  and  in  the  fall  of  this  year 
arrived  for  this  purpose  from  Liverpool,  bringing  with  him  a  company 
comprising  Crivelli,  tenor,  his  own  son  Manuel,  Angrisani.  ba.sso,  De 
Rosich,  Mmes.  Barbieri  and  Garcia,  and  Mdlle.  Marie  Garcia  afterward 
famous  as  Mme.  Malibran. 

Up  to  this  time  the  course  of  musical  progress  in  the  operatic  field 
had  been  largely  superficial.  Such  operas  as  had  been  produced  had  been 
brought  over  from  London  and  mainly  pre.sented  by  English  artists,  and 
while  the\'  were  fairly  supported,  and  no  doubt  enjoyed  by  the  Amer- 
ican audiences,  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  an  intelligent  musical  apprecia- 
tion of  that  field  of  art  activity  had  yet  been  awakened.  The  general 
knowledge  of  musical  principles  which  was  afterward  to  re.sult  from  the 
labors  of  Mason  and  his  co-workers  was  not  j-et  at  hand,  upon  which 
to  found  a  genuine  musical  taste.  The  onl\-  real  and  important  advance 
effected  had  been  in  orchestra,  and  this  was  yet  so  imperfect  as  to  be 
the  derision  of  European  visitors.  Garcia  opened  up  Italian  opera  to  this  ill- 
jirepared  and  inadequately  cultivated  field  by  the  presentation  of  Rossini's 
//  liarbicre.  The  occasion  assembled  the  most  fashionable  audience, 
according  to  the  reports  of  the  event,  that  had  ever  been  brought  together 
in  an  American  theatre.  Signor  Angrisani,  with  his  "powerful  low  and 
mellow  tones"  impressed  them  with  "wonder  and  delight,"  while  Mdlle. 
Garcia  "was  the  magnet  who  attracted  all  eyes  and  won  all  hearts."  Sh.e 
is  described  by  Ireland  as  in  person  "about  the  middle  height,  slightlj"" 


V:''v 


Mrs.  a  I -ST in. 


iiiibonpoinl :  her  eyes  dark,  arcli  and  exprcssivt ;  and  a  jilayful  smile  is 
almost  constantly  the  companion  of  her  lips."  The  enthusiasm,  however, 
had  no  real  basis  of  life.  It  was  not  founded  upon  intelligent  musical 
comjirehension  or  appreciation  of  tlie  beauties  of  the  opera.  The  music 
appealed  to  no  realizing  sense  of  its  emotional  meaning.  The  situations 
seemed  to  the  New  Yorker  a])surd,  the  passions  unintelligible,  the  love 
making  ridiculous;  and  while  the  exquisite  beauty  of  its  divine  strains, 
rendered  with  all  the  fervor  and  brilliancy  of  true  artists,  made  an  impres- 
sion u])on  the  .senses,  the  apparent  success  of  the  opera  was  in  reality 
attributable  to  its  novelty.  It  was  a  nine  days'  wonder,  that  soon  lost  its 
glamor  by  the  leveling  process  of  familiarity,  and  although  Garcia  gave 
many  performances  of  the  operas  of  Rossini,  and  some  of  his  own  excellent 
works,  the  receipts  gradually  dwindled,  and  he  recognized  the  failure  of 
his  mission  by  giving  his  la.st  performance  before  leaving  for  Mexico,  on 
Sept.  30,  1826.  Marie  Garcia  had  in  March  of  this  j'ear  been  given  to  a 
reluctant  marriage  with  one  Malibran,  a  French  wine  merchant  of  reputed 
wealth,  but  who  afterward  failed,  and  was  abandoned  b\'  his  wife.  She 
remained  in  New  York  till  the  fall  of  1S27,  taking  part  in  musical  events, 
her  last  appearance  being  a  farewell  benefit  in  Boieldieu'sy<r«Ji  dc  Paris. 
Angrisani  also  remained  in  New  York.  English  operas  resumed  their 
sway,  and  Malibran  scored  in  these  much  greater  popular  success  than  she 
had  attained  in  her  highest  field.  Mrs.  Austin,  who  came  to  America 
in  1S29,  succeeded  her  as  the  favorite  prima  donui.  She  popularized  Arne's 
.Irlaxcrxcs,  Boieldieu's  Caliph  of  Bagdad,  Rossini's  Cinderella,  etc., 
translated  and  adapted,  awCi'Der  Freyselinh,  which  all  seem  a  little  later  on 
to  have  acquired  a  permanent  popularitj-.  About  this  date  Charles  Edward, 
Horn,  an  English  singer  and  composer  of  eminence,  came  to  America. 
Grove  .states  the  date  at  1833,  but  it  appears  that  it  nuist  have  been 
at  least  a  year  earlier.  He  performed  an  important  service  for  the  progress 
of  music  by  introducing  many  English  operas,  as  well  as  by  competent 
adaptations  and  translations  of  such  works  as  Dido,  Die  ZauberJJofe, 
Fra  Diai'olo  and  other  standard  operas  of  high  cla.ss.  No  doubt  the 
insight  into  the  emotional  meaning  of  these  important  and  representative 
works  thus  afforded,  and  the  more  intelligent  idea  presented  of  both  the 
harmonic  and  dramatic  movement  and  their  association  and  inter-relation 
and  dei)endence,  did  much  to  form  musical  taste  and  to  lead  to  a  truer 
api)reciation  of  similar  operas,  when  presented  in  a  foreign  tongue. 
After  a  period  of  association  with  the  Park  Theatre,  Horn,  through  the 
failure  of  his  voice,  resulting  from  severe  illness,  re;ired  from  the  stage, 
and  in  com])any  with  a  Mr.  Davis  went  into  business  as  an  importer  and 
publisher  of  music.     During  this  period  he  produced  the  oratorio  Remis- 


Miss  P.\  ih 


sion  of  Sht.  In  184^5  lie  rL-lunied  to  Kiiglaiul,  wlierc  lii.s  oratorio  Salan 
was  performed  by  the  London  Melophonic  Society  in  1845,  and  he  was 
ap])ointed  musical  director  to  tlie  Princess  Theatre.  He  returned  to 
America  in  1S47,  and  in  July  of  that  year  was  apjKjinted  conductor  of  the 
Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  vSociety,  as  again  in  June,  1848.  He  died  in 
Boston,  Oct.  21,  1849.  Referring  to  Horn's  arrangement  of  Mozart's  opera, 
J)i(  Zauhcrflotc,  produced  March  17,  1832,  Hitter,  with  his  accustomed 
sneer,  says:  "Mr.  Horn,  who  seems  to  have  been  a  prolific  adapter, 
'did  the  job,'  "  evidently  without  regard  to  the  merit  of  the  work,  or,  appar- 
ently, knowledge  of  its  architect.  Horn  was  a  composer  and  musician  of 
merit,  the  author  of  /.a/la  Rook/i,  and  otlier  important  compositions, 
including  Honest  I-'rauds,  containing  tlie  exquisite  b.-xllad,  rendered 
famous  by  Mme.  Malibran,  "The  Deep,  Deep  Sea."  In  1832  there 
were  at  least  five  theatres  in  New  York,  the  Park,  Bowery,  Lafayette, 
Chatham  and  Richmond  Hill.  In  this  year  at  the  latter,  an  Italian  opera 
season  was  opened  by  Montressor,  with  a  fair  compau)'  of  Italian  artists 
and  the  finest  orchestra  that  had  yet  appeared  in  New  York,  introducing 
for  the  first  time  two  oboes.  The  season  la.sted  thirty-five  nights,  and 
at  the  end  of  that  time  collaj).sed,  and  the  company  was  disjiensed.  In  1833 
English  opera  predominated,  with  headquarters  at  the  Park  Tlieatre,  and 
with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood  as  the  leading  singers.  They  introduced  La 
Souuauibula,  repeated  Cinderella  seventy  nights,  and  had  a  distin- 
guished success  with  Robeii  llie  /)e:w'l,  arranged  and  adapted.  In  Novem- 
ber of  this  year,  the  eftbrts  of  Lorenzo  Da  Ponte,  through  an  association 
of  New  York  gentlemen,  for  that  purpose,  resulted  in  the  oiiening  of  a 
new  opera  house  witli  adecjuate  facilities  for  the  proper  and  effective 
representation  of  opera.  It  was  decorated  and  ujiholstered  with  great 
elegance,  and  was  in  all  its  appointments  upon  the  luiiopean  model.  Da 
Ponte  had  had  a  somewhat  remarkable  career.  He  was  born  in  Cenada, 
\'enice,  i  749:  Ijccame  jirofe.ssor  of  rhetoric  at  Treviso;  was  exiled  for  political 
utterances;  through  the  influence  of  vSalieri  was  made  poet-laureate  at 
Vienna,  and  thus  became  the  librettist  of  Mozart's  /hn  (iioian)ii,  Cos/  I-'an 
Tut//  and  F/oaro.  Sub.sequently  he  drifted  to  Paris,  London  and  ulti- 
mately to  New  York,  where,  after  a  desultory  career  in  various  business 
enterprises,  he  settled  down  as  teacher  of  Italian.  In  1S29  he  wrote  the 
ojiera  I.Wpe  Mits/ea/e,  music  adapted  from  Ro.ssini,  for  the  aiJjK'arance 
of  his  niece.  Under  the  management  of  Da  Ponte,  associated  witli 
Signor  Rivanfoli,  the  new  ()])era  house  was  oi)ene(l,  with  a  standard 
company  of  foreign  artists  and  an  orchestra  of  unquestional)le  excellence. 
The  setting  of  the  ojieras  was  also  ade(|uate  in  scenerw  dresses,  decoration, 
etc.     They  produced  a  number  of  first-class  works,  and  when  their  .season 


Lorenzo  Da  Poxte, 


was  l)rouj;lit  to  a  siulden  close  by  tlie  flight  of  Signora  Fanti,  tl)c  prima 
donna,  the  results  of  their  operations  were  summed  up  in  a  statement 
furnished  to  the  New  York  jiapers  by  Rivanfoli,  as  follows  :  The  total 
exj)enses  for  the  season  of  eight  months  were  $8 1 ,054.98,  while  the  receijits 
fell  short  of  this  sum  by  the  very  substantial  deficit  of  $29,275,09.  This 
furnishes  an  idea  of  the  value  as  a  speculation  of  ojieratic  enterprises  in 
New  York  in  the  early  decades  of  the  present  century.  For  many  years 
thereafter  the  experiences  of  impresarios  were  scarcely  less  discouraging. 
As  late  as  1850  Max  Maret/.ck  published  a  volume  entitled  "  Crotchets  and 
•Quavers,"  in  which  he  feelingl}- alludes  to  the  lack  of  success  attendant 
upon  the  i^rofe.ssion  of  purveyor  of  opera.  Indeed,  the  management  of 
ojiera  has  in  few  ca.ses  been  jiermanently  profitable  :  yet  few  were  so  en- 
gulfed financially  as  poor  Lorenzo  da  Ponte. 


(Xi  coff/jsi\nO  cc)  orrtciirijsiyno 

Jai  fujtri  Yijuoria-r  i'  ffuijon  fe  riAje 
Qf^ck'  jutoi.  aerrani  ut/da»T  jY\nf<   native 

yvtfto  t~vim  -^  cQ.n.u  Co"  ne^  Joity  c  oh^e. 
yKa  comxi   aft oy  end   ict   aeni^lla    ^kjuc 


54 


CHAl'TICR     \I. 
Pro(;ki:ss  of  Okatokio  to   i.S4( 


I T  was  natural  that,  with   the   improvement  effected  in  the  mu- 

t    sical  excellence  of  the  psalmody,  with  a  growing  general  literary 

and  intellectual  cultivation,  and  with  the  occasional  settlement 

of  individuals  who  had  had  the  advantage  of  the  better  training  of 

"M    the    Eiiropean    schools,    there   should  be  at  the   center  of  musical 

I     cultivation,  an  early  effort  at  acquaintance  with  the  higher  walks  of 

church  music,  and  even  a  timorous  wooing  of  the  forbidden  jileasures  of 

the  art  as  applied  to  secular  ideas. 

In  1798  Gottlieb  Graupner,  a  respectable  representative  of  the 
average  German  school  of  the  day,  settled  in  Boston,  and  a  year  later, 
Filippo  Trajetta,  a  more  important  pupil  of  the  Italian  school,  taught  in 
the  same  city,  later  removing  to  Xew  York.  Graupner  had  been  in 
London  as  oboist  in  Haydn's  orchestra,  in  connection  with  Salomon's 
concerts  (1791-92)  when  the  twelve  symphonies  of  that  great  master 
were  brought  out  by  Salomon.  After  brief  residence  in  Prince  Edward's 
Island  and  Charleston,  vS.  C,  he  made  his  permanent  home  in  Boston. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  there  were  a  few  musicians,  from 
scattered  sources,  with  professional  experience  of  ordinary  character, 
who  had  from  time  to  time  made  Boston  their  resideJice.  The-<' 
Graupner,  about  18 10,  organized  into  a  Philharmonic  Society.  They 
practiced  Haydn's  symphonies  for  their  own  edification,  and  had  an 
organized  existence  of  a  dozen  years,  since  the  last  record  of  a  concert 
by  the  society  is  dated  Nov.  24,  1S24,  the  event  taking  place  at  the 
Pantheon,  Boylston  square.  Undoubtedly  this  little  organization  did 
much  to  implant  in  a  few  ardent  hearts  the  love  and  appreciati(«i  of 
higher  music.  It  was  the  beginning  of  orchestral  music  in  America,  and 
was  instrumental  in  paving  the  way  to  the  field  of  oratorio.  True, 
there  is  record  of  an  alleged  "  Oratorio  given  at  King's  Chapel.  Boston.  Oct. 
27.'  1789,   in  honor   of   President    Washington's    visit    to  Boston."      Its 


charactc-r  may  he  conjectured  from  the  meagre  cultivation  of  the  daj-. 
Graupner's  efforts  were  encouraged  bj'  the  English  consul  Dixon,  and  b)' 
the  Russian  consul  Alexis  Eustaphieve,  whose  daughter,  Madame 
Peruz/.i,  was  in  that  day  a  great  pianist,  and  by  Messrs.  Ward,  Pollock, 
Gushing  and  other  Bostonians,  who  thus  became  the  pioneers  in  the 
cultivation  of  a  more  elevated  musical  sentiment  in  the  American  Athens. 
Just  before  1812,  Dr.  G.  K.  Jackson,  an  English  Mus.  Doc,  settled  in 
Boston,  and  gave  a  beneficial  impulse  to  the  direction  of  the  newly 
created  taste  for  better  things.  In  18 15,  these  elements  of  aspiration 
received  an  impulse  through  a  "  Peace  Jubilee,"  to  celebrate  the  cessa- 
tion of  the  three  years'  war.  This  was  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Jackson,  and  seems  to  have  acted  as  a  powerful  stimulus  to  the  desire  for 
musical  advancement.  This  occurred  Feb.  22,  1815,  and  growing  out  of 
it,  in  March  30  following,  a  meeting  called  by  Gottlieb  Graupner, 
Thomas  Smith  Webb  and  Asa  Peabodj-  took  place,  which  organized  the 
Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  an  association  which  subsequently, 
by  identifying  itself  with  the  reforms  of  Dr.  Lowell  Mason  in  church 
music,  and  in  other  ways,  laid  the  future  of  American  music  under  last- 
ing obligation.  This  societj'  entered  at  once  and  earnesth-  upon  its  work, 
and  on  the  following  Christmas  gave  its  first  "grand  oratorio"  to  an 
audience  of  945  persons,  with  the  Russian  consul  Eustaphieve  a.ssisting 
as  one  of  the  performers  in  the  orchestra.  The  chorus  numbered  about 
one  hundred  voices,  the  orchestra  less  than  a  dozen  pieces,  and  an  organ 
furnished  the  accompaniments,  the  programme  including  selections  from 
from  Handel's  Crcatio)i  and  Messiah.  B\'  1823  its  seventh  concert  was 
given,  and  at  that  time  the  first  complete  oratorio,  the  Messiah,  was 
performed,  previous  efforts  ha\'ing  been  devoted  to  portions  of  the.se 
great  works.  In  the  year  following  the  Creation  was  performed,  and 
these  two  oratorios  seem  to  have  bounded  the  acquaintance  of  the  Boston 
culture  of  that  day  with  higher  music.  The  important  productions 
under  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society's  auspices,  up  to  1840,  were 
Handel's  Dellitiirc7i  Te  Deum,  18 19  ;  Haydn's  Sixth  Mass  in  B  flat, 
sung  eleven  times  up  to  1837  \  Mozart's  Mass  in  C,  1829  ;  Haydn's 
Stonii,  presented  seven  times  fnmi  1830  to  1837  ;  Haydn's  Te  Deum  in 
C,  I  S3 1  ;  Beethoven's  Mount  of  Olives,  six  times  from  1S33  to  1837. 
From  1836  to  1S40  Neukomm's  David  was  presented  man\-  times.  The 
total  number  of  performances  down  to  1841  was  about  220,  the  high- 
est number  in  a  single  year  being  nineteen.  The  membership  of  tlie 
society  originally  was  forty-six.  To  this  number  162  were  added  before 
the  performance  of  the  finst  oratorio  in  iSiS,  and  down  to  1841.  218  more, 
but  the  average  attendance  at  public  performances  was  not  large,  being 

56 


stated  bj'  Mr.  Dwij^^ht  in  1837  at  about  fifty.  There  was  no  true  chorus 
discipline.  The  parts  were  inadequately  balanced,  and  the  orchestra  was 
little  more  than  a  fiction.  Yet  the  societj'  during  this  period  was  a 
powerful  instrument  for  improvement.  Imperfect  as  were  the  achieve- 
ments, they  yet  had  a  distinct  upward  tendency  and  influence,  and  were 
gradually  forming  musical  taste  upon  higher  lines  of  cultivation.  I'p  to 
1847  the  president  of  the  society  officiated  as  conductor,  the  first  \ic'mg 
Thomas  Smith  Webb,  for  two  years  ;  Benjamin  Holt,  two  years  ;  Amasee 
Winchester,  seven  years  ;  Robert  Rogerson  ;  Lowell  Mason,  elected  in 
1827,  for  five  years  ;  Bartholomew  Brown  ;  George  J.  Webb,  three  years, 
to  1 84 1.  Mr.  Dwight  gives  the  names  of  the  leading  spirits  in  vocal 
effort  :  Oliver  Shaw,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  in  18 16,  the  blind  singer  and 
song  writer;  Col.  Webb,  the  first  president,  and  John  Dodd,  Chas.  W. 
Lovett,  the  tenor  in  David,  Marcus  Cobum,  tenor  robusto,  and 
Samuel  Richardson,  basso,  from  1S25  ;  George  Hews,  counter-tenor  after 
1S30;  Mmes.  Knight,  Gillingham,  Adams  and  Franklin,  .soprano  and 
alto  soloists,  from  1S30  to  1835  J  B.  F.  Baker  and  Thomas  Ball  (the  cele- 
brated sculptor),  1837-38.  The  organists  up  to  1820  were  S.  P.  Taylor, 
of  New  York,  and  S.  C.  Cooper;  Miss  S.  Hewitt,  elected  1S20,  and 
following  for  nine  successive  years  ;  Charles  Zeuner,  from  183010  1837,  and 
A.  U.  Hayter,  who  first  officiated  in  1S3S,  and  thereafter  to  1849.  In  18^7, 
out  of  a  .schism  in  the  old  society,  grew  the  Musical  Institute  of  Boston, 
Bartholomew  Brown,  and  Hon.  Nahum  Mitchell,  for  the  first  two  presi- 
dents, and  Ostinelli  (who  had  married  Miss  Hewitt)  for  the  first  director. 
It  ga\e  concerts  for  se\eral  years,  produced  Mehul's  Joseph  and  //is 
Brethren  and  The  Skeptic,  a  short-lived  oratorio  whose  principal  claim  t<j 
distinction  was  its  origin  with  a  composer,  Russell,  a  popular  ballad 
singer  of  the  day,  who  had  located  in  Boston.  This  offshoot  of  the  old 
musical  organization  expired  after  three  years  of  doubtful  usefulness, 
since  however  laudable  its  object,  musical  growth  was  then  too  feeble  a 
plant  to  support  a  brajich  of  any  vigor,  without  injury  to  the  parent 
stem.  Up  to  this  time  Boston  had  a  few  glee  clubs,  originated  mainly 
through  the  efforts  of  Hon.  Wm.  H.  ICliot,  and  the  nucleus  of  better 
effort  by  and  by.  Pianofortes  were  few,  and  the  parlor  music  of  the  day, 
aside  from  sacred  song,  consisted  of  popular  melodies,  and,  as  Dwight 
says,  of  such  show  pieces  as  the  /uittli-  of  thr  /Vni^itr,  etc.  Of  ballads, 
etc.,  Moore's  songs  were  popular,  and  such  other  fashionable  novelties 
as  floated  over  the  ocean. 

New  York  has  always  been  1)ehin(lhantl,  as  compared  with  Boston 
and  Philadelphia,  in  the  cultivation  of  the  higher  branch  of  music,  though 
it  was  in  advance  in  the  encouragement  given  to  the  operatic  form.     In 


short,  u\)  to  recent  years,  since  which  it  has  nobly  redeemed  its  record,  it 
was  always  more  liberally  disposed  toward  the  more  showy  and  frivolous 
uses  of  the  musical  art.  True,  as  early  as  1770,  Handel's  Messiah  was 
performed  in  Trinity  church,  but  this  degree  of  culture  probably  repre- 
sented a  class,  both  civil  and  militarj-,  who  were  banished,  with  their  influ- 
ences for  refinement  and  cultivation,  by  the  events  of  the  revolutionary 
war.  The  real  beginning  of  cultivation  of  classical  sacred  music  may  be 
said  to  have  been  with  tlie  Choral  Society  established  in  1823.  Its  first 
great  event  was  given  in  St.  George's  church  in  April,  1824,  when 
Mozart's  Motetto,  (\  (iod,  when  Thou  Appearcsl,  was  given  for  the  first 
time  in  America.  The  programme  included  selections  from  Handel,  Bee- 
thoven and  Mozart,  Messrs.  vSwindalls  and  Dyers  being  the  conductors, . 
Mr.  Moran  the  organist,  and  H.  C.  Riley  leader  of  an  orchestra  of  twenty 
musicians,  with  a  chorus  of  fifty  singers.  A  concert  of  glees,  duets  and 
sacred  songs  is  mentioned  in  the  same  j'ear,  which  dated  the  beginning  of 
a  considerable  nuisical  activity,  which  was  aided  l)y  the  Choral  and  other 
organizations,  and  helped  by  the  possession  of  several  excellent  organs. 
Musical  societies  also  began  to  spring  up,  and  to  exert  an  active  influence, 
which  was  no  doubt  primarily  due  to  the  labors  of  the  Boston  Handel  and 
Haydn  Society.  Of  the  extent  and  nature  of  this  work,  we  maj'  gather 
an  idea  from  an  announcement  in  John  R.  Parker's  l-liiterpiad,  in  182 1, 
which  mentions  the  following  nuisical  events  as  occurring  in  May  of  that 
year:  Concert  of  sacred  music,  by  the  Beethoven  Society,  of  Portland, 
Me.;  concert,  at  Augusta,  Ga. ;  oratorio,  at  Prox-idcnce,  R.  I.,  by  the 
Psallonion  Society;  concert,  by  the  Philadelphia  Musical  Fund;  The  Crea- 
tion, l)y  the  Harmonic  Society,  of  Baltimore;  sacred  concert,  b\'  the  New 
Hampshire  Musical  Society,  at  Hanover;  instrumental  and  vocal  concert, 
in  Boston,  for  benefit  of  O.-itinelli,  and  an  oratorio,  in  the  same  city,  by 
the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society.  Tlie  New  York  Sacred  Music  Society 
was  started  alxmt  1823,  having  its  origin  in  a  dispute. between  the  choir 
and  vestry  of  Zion  church,  with  respect  to  increase  of  salary.  The  choir 
was  known  by  the  name  of  the  Zion  Cluirch  Mimical  Association,  and 
comprised  a  Ixxly  of  educated  .singers.  I'nder  it.s  new  name  this  organi- 
zation gave  concerts,  at  first  confined  to  the  standard  anthems  and 
choruses;  but  in  1S27,  on  the  occasion  of  a  Ijenefit  in  behalf  of  the  Greeks, 
then  struggling  for  freedom,  gave  selections  from  Handel,  Mozart  and 
Beethoven.  On  this  occasion  tlie  celebrated  Mine.  Malibran  was  a  .solo 
singer,  and  there  was  an  orchestra  of  twenty-seven  instruments,  with  a 
chorus  of  al)out  sixty.  This  event  ga\e  an  impetus  to  the  work  of  the 
society,  which  now  swallowed  up  the  Choral  Society,  and  benefited  l)y  an 
accession    of  musical    strength.     Jshortly   afterward    V .   C.    Hill    became 


Uircclor  of  the  society,  and  in  iS  v:>  tlie  entire  oratorio  Messia/i  was  given, 
with  Mrs.  Austin  and  Mrs.  Singleton  among  the  soloists.  vSubsequently 
to  1834  they  gave  Haydn's  72?  /hum  and  Creation.  In  1832  Hastings 
came  to  New  York  and  organized  the  Academy  of  Sacred  Music,  to 
who.se  cfTorts  was  due  a  general  reform  and  improvement  in  the  manage- 
ment and  work  of  the  various  church  choirs  of  the  city.  Speaking  of  the 
performance  of  the  oratorios  of  the  Sacred  Music  Society  in  1834.  a 
musical  journal  of  the  day  remarked  that  "The  time  is  "perhaps  not  so 
far  distant  as  .some  may  imagine  when  musical  festivals  will  be  common, 
equaling  in  tmmbers  and  even  in  talent  those  that  England  is  so  justly 
proud  of." 

In  the  month  of  Februarj',  1831,  a  concert  was  given  at  St.  Paul's 
church,  New  York,  at  which  a  rather  remarkable  progrannne  was  given, 
including  several  selections  from  the  oratorios  of  Handel  and  Haydn. 
U])  to  1840  or  thereabouts,  the  principal  vocal  societies  of  New  York  con- 
tinued to  be  the  Musical  Fund,  the  Euterpean  and  the  Sacred  Music 
Society.  The  first  named  was  composed  of  profes.sional  musicians,  the 
second  being  made  up  of  amateurs.  The  Musical  Fund  gave  a  yearly 
concert,  in  which  the  progranunes  were  often  quite  pretentious.  The 
Euteri)ean  Society  may  be  regarded  as  the  precursor  of  the  famous  New 
York  Philharmonic  Society.  Other  organizations  .soon  entered  the  field 
in  friendly  rivalry.  In  October,  183S,  the  Sacred  Music  Society  brought 
out  Mendelssohn's  .SV.  Paul  for  the  first  time  in  America.  The  German 
musicians  of  New  York  also  had  their  societies,  the  principal  one  being 
the  Concordia,  of  which  Daniel  Schle.ssinger  was  director.  Oratorio 
seems  to  have  been  in  vogue  at  this  period  to  an  extent  almost  ecpial 
with  the  favor  accorded  this  form  of  composition  at  the  present  day. 


59 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Twi)  Decades  Pkeceding  tiik  War. 

fFTER  1840  the  course  of  progress  of  music  in  America  gathered 
added  impetus.  Thanks  to  the  work  of  Dr.  Mason  and  his  coadju- 
tors, the  generous  enthusiasm  with  which  those  ever>-wliere 
wlio  were  at  all  interested  in  the  art  threw  themselves  into  tlie 
work  of  promoting  musical  knowledge,  and  the  growth  of  general 
culture  and  refinement,  there  came  to  be  soon  a  real  musical  spirit 
with  the  masses,  at  least  in  the  centres  of  population  —  a  spirit 
instinct  with  life  and  vigor,  alert  to  seize  and  utilize  for  the  advancement 
of  art  every  force  that  made  for  a  higher  ideal.  In  1840  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ward  visited  America  again  bringing  out  La  Sonnambula,  as  also  The 
Bcirgars'  Opera.  John  Braham,  the  famous  English  tenor,  also  gave 
concerts  at  Niblo's,  while  from  New  Orleans  came  once  in  a  while  a 
company  from  the  French  Grand  Opera  there.  In  1843  Signor  Palmo 
built  a  new  Italian  opera  house  in  New  York,  and  it  was  opened  in  1844 
\\\\\\  II  Puritajii,  with  Signora  Borghese  as  "Elvira."  Four  jears  later 
Palmo' s  opera  house  was  abandoned  as  too  small  and  too  far  away  from 
the  fashionable  quarters.  It  subsequently,  under  the  name  of  Burton's 
theatre,  was  used  for  dramatic  purposes.  While  Italian  opera  was  thus  pre- 
.sented,  the  Seguin  family  gave  linglish  opera  at  the  Park  theatre,  opening 
with  'Qi\k' s  Bohetnian  Girl,  the  first  presentation  of  that  opera  in  America, 
it  having  a  remarkably  successful  run.  At  the  Park  theatre  was  also  given 
by  the  Seguins  a  "  Handel-Rossini  oratorio,"  a  somewhat  ouhe  perform- 
ance, in  which  scenery  was  employed.  In  the  previous  year  a  French 
company  from  New  Orleans  had  given  Norma,  La  Fille  dii  Regimen/, 
and  Lucia  di  Lammermoor.  On  the  close  of  Palmo's  opera. house  its 
place  was  taken  by  a  new  down-town  structure  erected  bj-  Foster,  Morgan 
and  Colles  in  Astor  place,  being  based  on  150  subscriptions  to  an  Italian 
opera  for  .seventy-five  nights  a  year  for  five  years.  This  was  opened  in 
1847  with  \'erdi's  lirnani,  the  singers  including  Truffi,  Avignone.  Rossi 


and  Strucci.  Under  this  arrangement  Bellini's  Jhatria-  di  Tinda  and 
Lucrezia  Borgia,  Mercadante's  //  (jiuramcnto  and  Verdi's  Nabucco  were 
given,  the  scheme  proving  eminently  successful  during  the  five  years 
in  which  it  was  maintained.  In  the  same  year  the  ojiera  company  from 
Havana  gave  operas  of  Verdi,  Bellini,  Pacini  and  Rossini,  with  an 
excellent  staff  of  singers.  They  reappeared  the  following  year  with 
Bottesini  and  Arditi.  Mine.  Anna  Bishop,  and  W.  H.  Reeves,  a  brother 
of  the  famous  tenor,  Sims  Reeves,  sang  in  Engli.sh  opera  during  this 
season.  In  1S48  Ma.x  Maretzek,  recently  from  London,  was  nuisical 
director  at  the  Astor  Place  opera  house,  Edward  Fry  being  the  manager. 
Shortly  afterward  Maretzek  entered  upon  his  work  as  an  impresario,  and 
put  on  the  boards  many  important  operas  in  1S49  and  1850.  At  the  .same 
time  at  the  Castle  Garden,  Manager  Marty  was  playing  a  company, 
including  three  prime  donnc  and  a  company  of  very  distinguished  artists. 
This  company  was  the  first  to  produce  Meyerbeer's  Huguowts'xw  America. 
Maretzek  opened  his  season  of  October,  1850,  with  Dcr  Frcyschiitz,  and 
subsequently  introduced  for  the  first  time  Donizetti's  Parisina.  The  lyric 
stars  of  the  time  were  Theresa  Parodi  and  Miss  Virginia  Whiting,  who 
made  her  debut  on  the  stage,  and  was  afterward  famous  as  Mme. 
Lorini.  Anna  Thillon  also  appeared  at  Niblo's  in  Auljers  Crown 
Diamonds.  In  1852  Bochsa,  the  eminent  harpist,  directed  the  production 
of  Flotow's  inimitable  Martiia,  with  Mme.  Anna  Bishop  as  "Lady 
Harriet."  In  March,  1853,  Mme.  Sontag,  under  direction  of  Carl 
Eckert,  appeared  at  Niblo's  in  La  Fillc  da  Regiment.  The  next  event 
of  peculiar  interest  was  the  production  of  Shakespeare's  Afidsummer 
Xigftt's  Dream,  with  Mendelssohn's  music,  which  met  with  much  popu- 
ularity.  Maretzek  soon  after  gave  Meyerbeer's  Prophete  at  Niblo's  and 
also  at  Castle  Garden,  where  he  gave  a  first  production  as  well  of  \'erdi's 
Luisa  Miller.  Up  to  this  time  Italian  opera  had  been  a  somewhat  high- 
priced  luxurj-,  and  there  was  a  growing  conviction  of  the  desirability  of 
popularizing  prices  of  admission  and  opening  up  to  the  art  a  wider 
acquaintance  with  the  people.  This  of  course  necessitated  an  opera 
building  on  a  larger  .scale  than  had  hitherto  obtained.  A  charter  of 
incorporation  was  secured,  and  the  new  building,  conunenced  May,  1S53, 
was  completed  the  following  year  at  a  total  co.st  of  $335,000,  and  was 
opened  with  great  eclat  Oct.  2,  1854,  Grisi  and  Mario  participating.  Much 
expectation  had  been  excited  in  the  minds  of  many  who  had  confidently 
hoped  that  the  objects  related  in  the  charter  of  incorporation  would  l)c  to 
some  extent  carried  out  in  the  conduct  of  the  institution.  Tlie  ciiarter  staled 
the  object  held  in  view  to  l)c  as  follows:  "  For  the  purixise  of  cultivating 
a  taste   for  music  b}-  concerts,   operas  and  other  entertainments,  which 

5  6. 


shall  be  accessible  to  the  public  at  a  moderate  charge;  by  furnishing 
facilities  for  instruction  in  music,  and  by  rewards  of  prizes  for  the  best 
musical  compositions."  At  that  time  there  were  many  ambitious  singers 
of  talent  who  realized  that  cultivation  was  necessary  to  any  realization  of 
their  artistic  hopes.  The  expense  of  European  education  almost  univer- 
sally shut  them  off  from  a  career.  But  nothing  but  disappointment  was 
in  store  for  all  these  hopes.  There  have  never  been  any  "  facilities  for 
instruction  in  music"  furnished;  nor  has  Italian  opera  been  brought 
down  to  the  people,  or  the  latter  lifted  up  to  its  standard.  In  fact,  the 
Academy  of  Music  was  never  self-sustaining,  nor  is  there  any  very 
strong  probability  that  it  can  ever  be  surrounded  by  any  other  conditions 
than  those  of  failure,  so  far  as  financial  results,  united  with  a  permanent 
career,  are  concerned.  This,  taken  in  conjunction  with  the  real  excellence 
of  the  efforts  which  had  been  made  to  give  adequate  representation  to 
the  best  features  of  that  branch  of  art,  with  a  generally  cultured  musical 
instinct  which  had  now  been  created  and  with  a  characteristic  liberality 
on  behalf  of  the  public,  must  be  taken  to  prove  that  the  Italian  opera  is 
not  adapted  to  flourish  in  this  countr>\  It  is,  we  apprehend,  a  mistake 
to  suppose,  as  some  assume,  that  our  people  are  musically  incompetent  to 
appreciate  the  higher  forms  of  art.  The  sterling  and  substantial  progress 
of  oratorio,  for  instance,  and  of  English  opera,  prove  the  contrary.  The 
difficult}'  is  to  be  looked  for  in  the  fact  that  the  instinct  and  genius  of  our 
ptople  is  wholly  at  variance  with  that  on  which  Italian  opera  is  based,  nor 
is  it  at  all  possible  to  assimilate  our  art  education  to  an  appreciation  of  such 
features  of  Italian  opera  as  are  little  short  of  repugnant  to  our  tastes  and  sen- 
ibilities.  The  success  of  Italian  opera  must,  therefore,  always  remain  of  a 
transitory-  nature.  It  is  based  rather  upon  sensual  or  intellectual  apprecia- 
tion than  upon  spiritual  grounds.  And  j'et  Italian  opera  has  done  much  to 
promote  the  cultivation  of  musical  taste.  We  do  not  doubt  that  the  day  will 
come  in  the  not  too  distant  future,  when  the  national  instincts  and  character- 
istics shall  be  represented  in  a  school  of  American  opera,  which  shall  be 
to  us  all  that  Italian  opera  is  in  its  own  home,  and  which  shall  be  equally 
and  universally  cultivated  and  supported.  Something  of  this  idea  was 
evident  to  Ole  Bull,  who  in  the  beginning  of  1S55  became  lessee  and 
manager  of  the  New  York  Academy  of  Music.  He  oflfered  a  prize  of 
j5i,ooo  for  "the  best  original  grand  opera  by  an  American  composer, 
upon  a  strictly  .Inurican  sudjcr/."  He  says  (perhaps  W.  H.  Fr}-  had 
something  to  do  with  the  wording  of  this  document):  "The  national 
historj'  of  America  is  rich  in  themes  both  for  the  poet  and  the  musician; 
and  it  is  to  be  hofwd  that  this  offer  will  bring  to  light  the  musical  talent 
now  latent  in  the  country-,  which  only  needs  a  favorable  opportunity  for 


its  development."  Unfortunately  an  ambition  in  every  way  so  entitled 
to  respect  was  cut  short  by  the  close  of  the  Academy  in  March  following. 
Maretzek  thereafter  continued  to  present  Italian  opera  in  a  desultory 
manner,  sometimes  with  distinguished  artistic  assistance;  and  a  successful 
season  of  German  opera  was  given  under  direction  of  Unger,  at  Xiblo's. 

Up  to  1858  English  opera  continued  to  flourish  with  more  or  less 
success,  in  1854  by  the  Louisa  Pyne  and  Harrison  Company,  and  in  1855 
under  Payne,  with  a  companj'  of  eminent  artists,  playing  a  season  of  forty 
nights.  The  former  subsequently  gave  operas  and  concerts  throughout  the 
country.  In  1856,  under  direction  of  Carl  Bergmann,  Mile.  Johansen 
played  witli  a  good  comjiany  in  German  opera,  and  produced  Beethoven's 
Fidi/io,  for  the  first  time  in  its  entirety,  in  December.  In  this  year  Max 
Strakosch  appeared  on  the  scene  as  an  operatic  impresario,  and  thus,  with 
Maretzek,  at  Niblo's,  also  in  the  same  field,  there  was  much  enthusiasm 
and  excitement.  In  the  season  of  1857-58  Strakosch  was  associated  with 
UUman  at  the  Academy,  and  introduced  Meyerbeer's  Ifui^ucnots,  with  other 
important  operas,  and  such  artists  as  Mme.  Frezzolini,  Carl  Formes,  Mme. 
D'Angri  and  Ronconi.  Carl  Anschutz  came  to  New  York  from  Germany 
in  1857,  and  appeared  as  conductor  in  this  season.  In  March,  1858,  he 
conducted  the  opera  Leonora,  by  William  Henry  Fry,  the  distinguished 
American  composer.  This  opera  had  been  previously  given  in  Philadelphia 
in  1845,  by  the  Seguin  Company,  Fry  having  been  a  native  of  Philadel- 
phia, where  his  musical  education  was  finished  under  L.  Meignen,  who 
had  been  a  pupil  of  the  Paris  Conservatory.  In  this  work  Vxy,  particu- 
lars of  whose  career  are  elsewhere  given,  endeavored  to  combine  features 
of  the  French  and  Italian  schools  in  the  general  form  of  French  grand 
opera.  This  opera  was  well  received,  as  well  as  that  produced  by  him 
later  on,  entitled  Xolre  Dame  de  Paris,  given  in  1864  at  the  Academy  of 
Music,  Philadelphia,  a  few  months  before  the  author's  death.  He  was  an 
ardent  laborer  in  the  field  of  music,  having,  in  1852,  given  a  series  of  ten 
lectures  on  nuisic,  at  Metropolitan  hall,  New  York,  and  produced  a  set 
of  symphonies  of  much  musical  merit,  which  were  performed  by  Jullien's 
orchestra,  in  New  York.  Anschutz  was  also  an  important  factor  in  the 
progress  of  music  by  his  subsequent  labors.  Meanwhile,  the  rivalry 
between  UUman  and  Maretzek  continued,  with  Strakosch,  who  was  suc- 
cessfully touring  the  country-,  making  an  occasional  incursion  into  Gotham, 
and  in  one  season,  in  1859,  all  three  companies  were  on  the  wing  and 
New  York  was  left  for  an  interval  without  an  opera.  The  leading  artists 
of  the  period  were  Ronconi,  Lagrange,  Coletti  and  Tilx'rini,  with  Maret- 
zek; Colson,  Amodio,  Brignoli,  Cortesi  and  Patti-Strakosch  (Amalia  Patti, 
married  to  Maurice  Strakosch),  with  Strakosch;  while  Adelina  Patti  made 

63 


her  debut  under  UUmaii,  in  1859.  In  1861  tlie  outbreak  of  the  war  pro- 
duced a  general  ui)ln.-aval  of  all  the  conditions  which  affected  the  course  ot 
music,  and  the  events  from  that  time  to  the  close  of  the  struggle  were 
chiefly  desultor>'.  In  i$6i  a  benefit  performance  was  given  to  UUman,  in 
recognition  of  his  efforts  to  "maintain  Italian  opera,"  in  which  Miles.  Kel- 
logg and  Ilinklej',  and  Brignoli,  Mancuri  and  Susini  took  part.  In  1862 
Anschutz  opened  a  German  opera  season  at  Wallack's,  at  which  standard 
operas  were  produced  in  a  liighly  artistic  and  satisfying  manner,  but  in 
the  whirl  of  popular  excitement  and  the  craving  for  light  .sensational 
plaj'S  and  scenic  effects,  the  venture  had  to  be  abandoned. 

We  will  now  revert  to  progress  in  other  centres  of  population,  Boston, 
Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  etc.,  during  this  period,  where  there  were  more 
solid  results  in  advancement  and  upon  higher  musical  lines  than  in  New 
York,  even  if  there  was  not  so  much  of  spasmodic  brilliancy  to  mark  the 
tenor  of  its  history. 

♦While  music  was  being  so  rapidly  developed  in  all  departments  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  the  activity  in  other  American  cities  was  commensurate 
with  that  of  Gotham.  In  Boston  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society  con- 
tinued its  noble  work  and  grew  rapidly  in  membership  and  influence. 
The  Boston  Musical  Institute,  another  oratorio  societj-,  was  also  organized, 
and  existed  for  three  seasons.  This  society  brought  out  Mehul's  Joseph 
and  His  Brethren  and  several  other  important  works.  Thomas  Ball, , 
the  American  sculptor,  came  into  prominence  as  a  bass  soloist,  and  when 
Elijah  was  brought  out  by  the  Handel  and  Haj'dn  Society  in  1848,  Mr. 
Ball  took  the  part  of  "  Elijah"  very  satisfactoril3\  An  occasional  orches- 
tra concert  was  promulgated  by  the  members  of  the  different  theatre 
orchestras,  but,  on  the  whole,  orchestral  music  made  but  little  progress. 
The  first  regular  orchestral  concerts  in  Boston  were  supplied  by  the  Acad- 
emy of  Music,  and  the.se  continued  for  several  seasons.  Following  these 
appeared  an  orchestral  force  called  the  Musical  Fund,  which  gave  concerts 
for  several  successive  seasons.  The  Musical  Fund  had  in  1852  a  member- 
ship of  sixty  performers,  and  it  was  accounted  an  excellent  orchestra.  Of 
several  other  organizations  of  instrumentalists,  the  only  one  that  enjoyed 
a  career  of  considerable  length  was  the  Orchestral  Society,  which  gave 
concerts  under  the  auspices  of  the  Harvard  Musical  Association.  In  1833 
a  society  was  organized  in  Boston  for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  toward 
the  introduction  of  musical  instruction  in  the  public  schools.  A  Mr. 
Woodliridge,  a  gentleman  who  took  great  interest  in  educational  matters, 
visited  Germany  and  took  note  of  the  importance  there  given  to  musical 
education.  On  his  return  he  co-operated  with  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  and 
their  efforts  resulted  in  the  important  step  wliich  has  since  been  adopted 

64 


in  every  large  city  in  the  union,  viz.:  The  introduction  of  iiuisic  in  the 
public  schools. 

Other  cities  of  the  United  States  were  during  this  period  dependent 
to  a  great  extent  upon  traveling  orchestras  for  their  orchestral  nutsic, 
having  no  local  forces  of  any  consequence.  One  of  the  most  important  of 
these  traveling  orchestras  was  the  Germania  hand,  which  arrived  in  New 
York  in  1848.  From  New  York  thej'  went  to  Philadelphia  on  the  invita- 
tion of  a  gentleman  in  that  city  who  had  heard  them  play  in  New  York. 
In  the  Quaker  City  the  Germania  players  made  a  great  artistic  success, 
but  they  met  with  slim  pecuniary  reward.  The  returns  for  one  concert 
amounted  to  the  sum  of  $9.50.  The  orchestra  also  played  in  concerts  in 
Baltimore  and  in  Washington.  It  was  an  excellent  body  of  ])layers,  but 
the  pul)lic  failed  to  award  its  patronage.  They  disbanded  and  were  scat- 
tered to  all  parts  of  the  country-.  Among  them  were  Carl  Zerrahn,  Carl 
Bergman,  \Villiam  vSchultze,  Carl  Sentz  and  others  who  subsequently 
attained  reputations  as  musicians  in  this  country.  During  this  period 
New  Orleans  was  the  southern  city  most  devoted  to  music,  and  opera  in 
the  French  language  was  the  form  of  the  art  most  prevailing  there.  The 
advent  of  Jullien's  orchestra  in  1853  was  an  important  event,  for  several 
reasons,  but  chief!}-  because  there  came  with  Jullien  a  number  of  musi- 
cians who  subsequently  became  conspicuous  in  American  musical  life. 
Jullien  was  one  of  the  first  directors  to  give  American  compo.sers  a  chance. 
During  his  New  York  season  he  brought  out  several  works  by  the  few 
Americans  who  at  that  time  aspired  to  write  for  orchestra,  among  them 
H.  W.  Fry  and  T.  Bristow. 

We  have  now  considered  the  development  of  music  in  America  up 
to  the  l)reaking  out  of  the  civil  war,  which  may  be  said  to  mark  the  next 
epoch  in  Aini'ricxn  musical  history. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

Period  of  tiik  War  Songs. 

)  wheu  during  the  war  of  independence  in  1775,  there  was  an 
gJa|r  entire  cessation  of  musical  progress  in  the  then  only  field  of  cul- 
^gi-i»  tivation,  that  of  church  music,  and  the  musical  talent  of  the  day, 
such  as  it  was,  was  de\oted  to  the  expression  of  that  outburst  of 
popular  sentiment  in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  freedom  which,  till 
its  object  had  been  accomplished,  dominated  the  heart  and  intellect 
of  the  patriots,  so  in  1861,  when  the  national  existence  was  menaced 
by  internecine  strife,  all  progress  in  the  classical  departments  of  music 
was  abandoned  ;  higher  musical  effort  came  to  a  standstill,  and  what  we 
we  may  regard  as  the  true  American  Folk-Song,  assumed  universal  sway. 
National  sentiment,  north  and  south,  was  stirred  to  its  profoundest  depths, 
and  from  the  heart  springs  of  the  people  welled  forth  in  musical  utter- 
ance, the  passions,  the  aspirations,  the  hopes  and  fears,  the  sorrows,  trials 
and  rejoicings,  and  every  phase  of  human  emotion  strained  by  great  events 
to  its  utmost  tension.  The  poet  forsook  his  higher  strains  to  devote  him- 
self to  the  patriotic  work  of  arousing  the  spirit  of  war  and  carnage,  to 
lamentation  o\er  disaster,  or  the  exultant  paeans  of  victorious  achieve- 
ment. The  composer  banished  from  his  thought  the  sweeter  spirits  to 
whom  music  delights  to  mini.ster,  and  his  martial  notes  reechoed  the  sound 
and  fury  of  battle.  The  great  body  of  the  people  caught  up  the  inspirit- 
ing melod}-,  and  the  whole  land  resounded  with  the  indomitable  spirit  of 
patriotic  impulse  and  national  pride.  Yet  not  always  were  these  war 
songs  devoted  to  the  stimulation  of  the  fires  of  patriotic  ardor.  Many  were 
consecrated  to  the  holiest  and  tenderest  sentiments  —  of  the  mother  whose 
first-born  had  been  surrendered  to  danger  and  death,  a  sacrifice  to  God 
and  country  ;  or  that,  in  some  young  and  weeping  wife,  were  awakened  from 
the  anguish  of  irredeemable  bereavement  sweeping  across  the  heartstrings 
of  .sorrow  and  of  woe.  \'ery  many  of  these  songs  possessed  no  more 
claim    to    merit    than    was  inseparable    from    the  spirit   which   dictated 

66 


them  or  the  sentiment  which  they  expressed.  Others  combined  this 
quality  with  much  skill  in  poetic  expression  and  in  musical  construc- 
tion and  utterance,  and  it  is  a  fact  tliat  shows  the  natural  assimila- 
tion of  lofty  patriotic  sentiment  to  its  highest  musical  form  of  enuncia- 
tion, that  those  war  songs  which  really,  from  the  critically  musical 
point  of  view,  possessed  the  greatest  merit  were  those  which  attained 
the  widest  popularity  and  the  greatest  permanence.  Some  of  these 
have  become  inseparablj'  incorporated  into  the  country's  literature,  and 
will  endure  for  all  time  ;  others  have  become  memories  :  but  all  serve 
to  illustrate  the  character  and  qualitj'  of  American  popular  song,  and 
constituted  a  new  and  distinct  creation  in  national  musical  life.  With 
the  causes  and  course  of  the  cruel  strife  which  lasted  from  1861  to 
1865,  we  have  here  no  concern.  The  songs  of  north  and  south  were 
equally  inspired  by  the  same  spirit,  as  sincere  and  earnest  in  its  misdirec- 
tion as  it  was  in  the  truthful  and  immortal  impulses  of  freedom  and  human 
liberty  which  ultimately  prevailed,  and  which  have  given  to  us  a  new 
and  united  national  life.  They  each  represented  the  heart  emotions  of 
the  people  at  a  time  when  they  were,  north  and  south  alike,  thrilled 
through  every  fiber  to  the  very  core  of  emotional  existence.  It  would  l>e 
impossible,  and  it  is  not  necessarj-  to  the  object  of  this  book,  to  attempt 
to  review  the  work  of  the  writers  of  the  war  songs  in  any  detail  :  the 
most  important  and  representive  productions  will  appear  in  the  individual 
biographies  of  the  principal  among  them.  Such  popular  and  patriotic  songs 
as  "Marching  through  Georgia,"  and  "The  Battle  Cry  of  Freedom," 
require  no  historian  ;  they  will  endure  so  long  as  the  spirit  of  American 
patriotism  survives.  One  remarkable  feature  of  the  period  of  the  war 
songs  was  the  extraordinary  manner  in  which  every  note  that  caught 
popular  favor  was  disseminated  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
countrj-.  Within  one  month  after  such  a  composition  had  received  the 
seal  of  approval  in  any  quarter  where  the  military  spirit  was  representative, 
it  might  be  heard  from  Maine  to  California,  and  garnishing  the  idle 
moments  alike  of  the  smoke-begrimed  veteran  "at  the  front,"  and  of 
the  prattling  school  boy  in  his  northern  home.  The  electric  rapidity  with 
which  tunes  and  words  came  into  universal  knowledge,  was  no  doubt  due 
to  the  labors  of  the  printing  press  and  the  unremitting  and  feverish  inter- 
est which  everywhere  prevailed  in  the  fortunes  of  the  war,  and  in  every 
condition  and  sentiment  that  was  connected  with  or  grew  out  of  it. 
Among  the  most  important  of  the  contributors  to  the  ' '  vSongs  of  the  War  " ' 
we  will  first  menti(m  the  name  of  a  veteran,  who  is  also  noted  as  one  of 
the  trio,  Lowell  Mason,  William  B.  Bradley  and  Dr.  George  F.  Root, 
prominent  in  promoting  sacred  nuisic. 

6> 


Dr.  George  F.  Root. 

It  may  sound  strangely  in  the  ears  of  those  who  are  only  familiar 
with  the  gentleman's  physical  vigor,  and  his  more  than  ordinary'  musical 
energy  and  activity,  to  recall  the  fact  that  he  was  born  as  long  ago  as 
1S20,  and  is  therefore  on  tlie  verge  of  the  "  three  score  and  ten,"  allotted 
by  the  psalmist. 

To  those  who  have  only  known  him  by  his  works,  in  which  there  is 
the  perennial  youth  of  art,  Dr.  Root  is  never  thought  of  in  connection 
with  the  suggestion,  "  How  long  has  he  lived?"  or  "  How  long  is  he 
likely  to  be  with  us  ?  "  He  is  simply  one  of  those  personages  who  have 
so  grown  into  American  life,  and  particularly  musically  cultured  life,  that 
it  seems  natural  to  regard  him,  through  his  work,  as  a  personage  to  whose 
association  we  ha\'e  become  insensibly  familiar,  and  whose  worth  and 
importance  we  shall  probably  never  pause  to  think  over,  until  sooner  or 
later,  and  all  too  soon,  we  may  one  day  be  reminded  that  a  life  has  gone 
out  from  amongst  us  over  into  the  better  and  brighter  existence  of  the 
great  majority,  in  which  each  will  feel  that  he  has  in  some  wa^-,  near  or 
remote,  as  it  may  appear,  sustained  a  personal  loss. 

Dr.  Root  was  boni  in  1S20  at  Sheffield,  Mass.,  in  that  Housatonic 
valley  upon  which  nature  has  lavished  so  many  of  her  attractions.  He 
had,  in  his  youth,  the  plain  and  practical  advantages,  not  to  be  lightly 
esteemed,  of  the  New  England  district  .school,  but  he  possessed  an  imag- 
inative, impressionable  and  poetic  mind  that  caught  the  fire  of  art  from 
every  surrounding  circumstance  —  the  mysterious  majesty  of  the  massive 
mountains,  the  placid  and  tranquil  beaut\-  of  the  fertile  vallej-s,  the 
music  of  the  murmuring  brooks  meandering,  daisy-kissed,  through  the 
verdant  and  laughing  meadows,  and  the  serene  and  effulgent  glor}' 
with  which  the  monarch  of  the  firmanent  sinks  nightly  to  rest  in  his 
ethereal  couch  of  purple  and  golden  haze  —  a  sunset  not  surpassed  in  Italy 
in  its  combined  attributes  of  majestic  grandeur  and  soft  and  entrancing 
beauty.  With  his  natural  predilections  and  gifts  of  mind  he  was  bound 
to  become  either  a  poet  or  a  musician,  and  he  chose  the  brighter  and  more 
beautiful  of  those  two  arts  which  gild  the  somber  hues  of  life  with  the 
brightness  from  a  higher  sphere 

Without  any  adventitious  advantages  in  the  waj-  of  art  culture,  he 
learned  all  that  was  to  be  leanied  of  the  homely  music  and  song  of  the 
day,  and  mastered  such  instruments  as  he  had  access  to  ;  and,  finally,  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  his  thirst  for  musical  knowledge  and  natural  ambition 
for  distinction  in  that  walk  of  u.sefulness  to  which  he  had  determined 
to  consecrate  his  life,  led  him  to  Boston,  the  then  center  of  musical  culture. 
He  was  fortunate  in  making  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  A.  N.  Johnson,  a 


'c^ . 


C^Ajr-^r^ 


prominent  music  teacher  of  the  time,  who,  having  satisfied  himself  that 
young  Root's  capacity  was  equal  to  his  ambition,  not  only  gave  him 
emjiloyment,  but  a  place  in  his  household,  and  took  pleasure  in  feeding 
the  eager  mind  with  such  musical  knowledge  as  he  himself  possessed. 

The  progress  of  the  student  was  rapid,  *as  his  zeal  and  industry 
assured,  and  soon  he  became  a  partnei  in  the  school  of  his  preceptor. 
Combining  business  activitj'  with  musical  ambition,  he  became  also  a 
leader  of  several  choirs,  and  was  an  active  instrument  in  promoting  musical 
knowledge.  He  became  identified  with  the  teachers'  classes  organized  by 
Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  in  1835,  in  connection  with  the  Boston  Academy  of 
Music.  On  the  disruption  of  these  classes  some  years  later,  Mr.  Root 
went  to  New  York,  b\-  invitation  of  Jacob  Abbott,  principal  of  the  Abbott 
Institute,  where  he  soon  established  a  wide  reputation  for  his  skill  and 
success  as  a  teacher.  He  was  also  in  request  as  instructor  in  other  insti- 
tutions of  the  kind,  and,  in  addition  to  his  other  work,  conducted  the  music 
in  the  Mercer  street  Presbyterian  church.  He  himself  had  not  ceased  to  be 
a  constant  and  earnest  student,  and  to  enlarge  the  horizon  of  his  musical 
knowledge  in  1850  he  visited  Europe,  where  his  industrj^  during  his  sta}" 
of  one  3-ear  materially  broadened  his  musical  qualifications.  He  now  felt 
competent  to  enter  into  a  higher  field  of  activity  than  teaching,  and  devoted 
himself  to  the  production  of  popular  songs,  w^hich  were /^/w/ar  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  term. 

His  talent  asserted  itself  in  public  recognition,  and  he  was  soon 
invited  by  Mason  &  Bradbur}-  to  join  them  in  the  production  of  church 
music  books,  and  henceforth  he  devoted  himself  to  composition  and  the 
conduct  of  musical  conventions. 

In  i860  Dr.  Root  settled  in  Chicago  and  entered  the  music  publish- 
ing business  with  his  brother,  E.  T.  Root,  and  Mr.  C.  M.  Cady,  as  "  Root 
&  Cady,"  Mr.  Root's  reputation  being  the  most  important  capital  of  the 
firm.  This  was  sufficient,  however,  and  with  his  industn,-  now  devoted 
to  larger  works,  to  the  improvement  of  church  music  and  popular  song, 
soon  made  the  new  firm  prosperous.  When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke 
out  Dr.  Root's  whole  heart  sympathies  were  enlisted  in  the  cause  of  union 
as  that  of  the  maintenance  of  liberty  and  freedom  on  this  continent,  and  of 
the  pre.ser\-ation  of  the  glorious  heritage  of  the  fathers  of  the  revolution. 
His  Battle  Ciy  of  Freedom  in  1862  came  straight  from  the  pulsation  of 
a  patriotic  heart,  and  it  vibrated  like  an  electric  current  throughout  the 
union.  Sung  by  the  celebrated  Hutchinson  family  at  the  great  New  York 
mass  meeting  in  1861,  it  soon  resounded  throughout  northern  homes  as  a 
confident  hope,  and  became  the  battle  cry  and  inspiration  on  many  a  hard- 
fought  field.     It  lives  to-day,  and  will  forever  endure,  as  a  factor  in  national 


^A(M^:^y^uMx^^^^ 


unity  and  a  rallying  cry  against  every  danger  that  may  assail  it.  During 
the  war  he  composed  many  other  noble  and  patriotic  songs,  but  with  this 
his  name  will  in  history  be  indissolublj-  connected. 

In  the  great  Chicago  fire  of  1871  the  interests  of  the  firm  of  Root  & 
Cady  became  engfulfed  in  the  general  ruin.  A  loss  of  upward  of  a  quarter 
of  a  million,  an  enormous  fortune  for  those  days,  was  too  much  for  the 
firm  to  endure,  and  its  interests  were  sold  to  S.  Brainard's  Sons  and  the 
John  Church  Company,  who  have  worthily  upheld  the  high  business  and 
musical  reputation  thus  handed  over  to  them. 

Dr.  Root  has  since,  even  up  to  the  present  time,  remained  active  in 
the  work  of  musical  creation  and  activity,  as  composer,  writer  and  con- 
ductor of  conventions.  His  high  Christian  character  and  spotless  integ- 
rity have  endeared  him  to  a  verj^  large  circle  of  friends,  in  and  out  of 
musical  circles,  and  his  musical  repute  is  as  wide  as  the  realm  of  our  sov- 
ereign people,  and  as  enduring  as  the  eternal  principles  which  he  promul- 
gated in  song. 

Charles  C.\rrol  Sawyer. 

One  of  the  most  important  and  successful  writers  of  war  songs  was 
Charles  Carrol  Sawj-er,  born  at  Mystic,  Conn.,  in  1833.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  his  father,  Capt.  Joshua  Sawyer,  a  well  known  ship  builder, 
removed  to  New  York,  and  about  that  time  he  began  to  compose 
sonnets,  which  attracted  attention  b}'  their  poetic  merit.  It  was  not, 
however,  till  the  outbreak  of  the  war  that  he  came  into  any  great  prom- 
inence. His  great  success  lay  not  alone  in  the  melodic  excellence  of  his 
songs  and  the  peculiar  pathos  with  which  he  invested  the  sentiments  with 
which  he  dealt ;  he  possessed  the  happy  facultj'  of  seizing  upon  particu- 
larly dramatic  incidents  for  the  themes  of  his  nuise,  and  of  investing  both 
the  poetic  and  musical  idea  with  which  he  dealt,  with  something  of  the 
spirit  of  the  event  which  supplied  his  inspiration.  For  instance,  his  song 
Mother  xi'indd  Comfort  Me,  was  founded  upon  the  fate  of  a  wounded 
Union  soldier,  taken  prisoner  at  Gettysburg.  When  told  in  the  southern 
prison  that  nothing  could  be  done  for  him,  his  last  sad  words  were: 
"Mother  would  comfort  me  if  she  were  here!"  On  this  event  was 
founded  the  song,  whose  concluding  words  are  : 

Sweetly  a  mother's  love  shines  like  a  star, 
Hrightest  in  darkness,  when  light  is  afar  ; 
In  clouds  or  in  sunshine,  in  sorrow  or  pain. 
Mother's  afTection  is  ever  the  same. 

"  He  was  not  afraid  to  die,"  were  the  words  of  a  telegram  which  broke 

the  news  of  a  young  husband's  death  on  a  southern  battlefield,  in  1864,  to 

his  sorrowing  wife.     In  the  song  of  that  name  a  whole  nation  was  moved 

to  sympathy,  and  a  people's  heartfelt  admiration  of  the  nobility  of  such 

72 


m- 


a  death  was  both  honor  to  the  dead  and  consolation  to  the  living.      One 

jK'Culiar  feature  of  Mr.  Sawyer's  war  songs,  which  strikingly  illustrated 

the  artist  nature  which  inspired  his  work,  was  the  fact  that  in  not  a  single 

one  of  these  productions  was  there  a  taint  of  rancor  or  malice.      They 

were  northern  songs;  but  they  were  songs  of  sentiment,  and  could  and  did 

express  the  emotions  of  the  soldiers  of  the  south,  under  similar  conditions, 

as  well  as  of  those  for  whom  they  were  immediately  written.      This  fact 

has,  since  the  close  of  the  war,  been  recognized  and  appreciated  bj-  the 

people  of  the  south,  and  is  well  expressed  bj'  an  utterance  of  a  Georgia 

journal,  the  Milledgeville  Federal  Uniofi,  which  sajs  : 

We  do  uol  see  how  the  sections  rent  in  twain  are  ever  to  be  reunited  in  good 
faith  if  tht  noblest  men  who  live  in  the  north  and  south,  where  they  put  forth  great 
exertions  to  blot  out  the  painful  memories  of  the  past,  are  not  encouraged.  Charles 
Carrol  Sawyer  is  one  of  the  north's  most  gifted  sons.  *  *  *  His  sentiments  are 
fraught  with  the  greatest  tenderness,  and  never  one  word  has  he  written  about  the 
south  or  the  war  that  could  wound  the  sore  cords  of  the  southern  heart.  He  is  a 
gentleman,  moreover,  of  wonderful  versatility  of  genius.  He  can  not  only  write 
songs  in  the  language  of  rapture,  but  he  can  compose  as  sweet  strains  of  music  as 
ever  mingled  melody  with  harmony. 

Henry  Clay  Work. 

A  name  that  is  familiar  to  all  lovers  of  American  song  is  that  of 
Henry  Clay  Work,  who  was  bom  at  Middletown,  Conn.,  Oct.  i,  1832. 
He  belonged  to  a  good  old  New  England  family,  and  when  he  was  quite 
young  his  parents  brought  him  to  a  new  home  in  the  state  of  Illinois, 
Here,  owing  to  his  strong  anti-slavery  views,  the  elder  Work  fell  into 
poverty,  in  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his  boyhood.  In  1845 
the  father  was  released  from  the  prison  into  which  he  had  been  cast 
by  his  opponents  in  politics,  and  the  family  then  returned  to  Middletown, 
Henry  was  apjirenticed  as  a  printer,  but  he  thought  of  little  beside  music, 
and  his  first  song,  written  when  he  was  still  a  boy,  was  sold  to  Christy's 
minstrels.  It  was  called.  We're  Coining,  Sister  Mary,"  and  it  became 
quite  popular.  In  1855  he  moved  to  Chicago,  continuing  at  his  trade  as 
a  printer.  In  i860  he  wrote  Lost  on  the  Lady  Elgin,  and,  in  1861,  King- 
dom Coming.  This  latter  song  struck  the  favor  of  the  public  at  once. 
The  outbreak  of  the  war  caused  a  great  demand  for  patriotic  songs,  and 
to  the  supplying  of  this  demand  Mr.  Work  devoted  himself  He  wrote 
Babylon  is  Fallen;  The  Song  of  a  Thousand  Years,  Marching  through 
Georgia,  and  Wake,  lYicodemus.  All  of  these  had  great  sticcess  and  an 
immen.se  sale.  Among  his  songs  of  a  later  period  may  be  mentioned  the 
temperance  songs,  Come  Home,  Father  and  A7«i,'  Bihhlcr' s  Army;  also 
The  Lost  Letter;  The  Ship  thaf  Never  Returned,  Phantom  Footsteps; 
Grandfather' s  Clock,  and  others  equally  popular.  Mr.  Work's  life  was 
saddened  by  the  insanity  of  his  wife,  who  died  in  an  asylum  in   1883. 


iJ^yf^O'^'^'^'<^-^  ^-iZ^c^-^    .y/i 


Y 


Mr.  Work  survived  her  but  one  year,  dying  suddenly  of  heart  disease, 
Junes,  1884.  He  is  buried  at  Hartford,  at  Spring  Grove  cemeter>-,  but 
his  songs  live  in  tlie  liearts  of  the  people. 

Francis  Scott  Key. 

To  another  period  belongs  the  career  of  Francis  Scott  Key,  but  his 
song  The  Star  Spangled  Banner  belongs  not  to  a  period,  but  to  all  time. 
Francis  Scott  Key  was  born  in  Annapolis  county,  Md.,  in  1779.  He 
was  educated  at  St.  John's  College,  and  turned  his  attention  to  law, 
practicing  at  Frederick  City.  The  American  flag  was  first  unfurled  in 
the  harbor  cf  Baltimore,  and  it  was  in  the  same  place  amid  remarkable 
surroundings  that  the  stirring  national  anthem  was  produced.  In  the 
year  18 14,  after  the  burning  of  Washington  by  the  British,  Mr.  Key  was 
sent  to  the  British  fleet  to  negotiate  for  the  release  of  several  prisoners. 
The  British  had  planned  the  bombardment  of  Fort  McHenrj-,  and,  as  they 
feared  that  Kej--  would  make  known  their  plans,  he  was  detained  on  a 
British  vessel  all  night.  He  witnessed  the  bombardment,  and  by  the 
light  of  the  rockets  and  the  bursting  shells  he  saw  at  intervals  the  Amer- 
ican banner.  By  the  light  of  the  early  morning  he  saw  that  "the  flag 
was  still  there,"  and  he  knew  that  the  fort  had  held  out.  It  was  under 
the  inspiration  of  this  stirring  scene  that  Key  wrote  the  verses  that  made 
his  name  famous.  The  music  has  been  ascribed  to  Charles  Durang,  an 
actor,  but  the  air  has  also  been  said  to  be  of  Irish  origin,  which  is  quite 
probable.  On  this  one  song  rests  the  reputation  of  Francis  Scott  Key, 
and  it  is  only  to  be  regretted  that  the  composer  of  the  melod}-  is  not 
equally  famous.  In  1874,  Mr.  James  Lick,  the  philanthropist,  donated 
$150,000  to  the  city  of  San  Francisco  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  monu- 
ment to  Francis  Scott  Key,  and  the  honor  was  richly  merited.  Mr.  Key 
died  in  1S43. 

H.    L.    SCHREIXER. 

Another  composer  of  the  war  songs  of  the  south  was  Mr.  H.  L,. 
Schreiner,  who  is  a  native  of  Germany,  but  who  came  to  America  very 
young.  1832  was  the  year  of  birth,  and  he  landed  in  the  land  of  his 
adoption  in  1849,  settling  in  Macon,  Ga.*  where  he  engaged  in  business 
with  his  father  and  brother.  In  1862  Mr.  Schreirer  bought  out  the  firm 
of  W.  D.  Zogbaum  &  Co.,  of  Savannah,  Ga.,  and  also  opened  a  branch 
store  at  Augusta,  Ga.  He  also  taught  music,  but  at  the  time  of  the 
breaking  out  of  the  war  he  purchased  a  font  of  music  type  and  began  the 
publication  of  music,  with  headquarters  at  Macon.  After  the  capture  of 
New  Orleans  the  firm  of  vSchreiner  6c  Co.  was  the  only  music  publishing 
concern  in  the  southern  states",  and  this  gave  the  firm's  publications  an 

76 


increased  sale.  Up  to  the  time  of  the  taking  of  Savannah,  in  1864,  Mr. 
Schreiner  gave  many  concerts  for  the  relief  of  the  wounded  and  for  other 
patriotic  purposes.  vSince  the  war  Mr.  Schreiner  has  continued  in  busi- 
ness at  Savanriah,  publishing  music  and  dealing  in  musical  instruments. 
Among  his  songs  may  be  mentioned  The  Mother  of  the  Soldier  Boy;  When 
Uf>on  the  Field  of  Glory ;  The  Soldier's  Grave;  The  Wcarimr  of  the  Grey, 
and  others.  His  songs  were  very  well  liked  throughout  the  war  time, 
and  became  great  favorites  with  the  southern  people. 

A.  E.   Blackmar. 

While  other  composers  were  singing  the  patriotic  songs  of  the  north, 
the  southern  song  writers  were  equallj'  devoted  in  their  composition  of 
stirring  and  spirited  lyrics.  Prominent  among  these  was  Mr.  A.  E. 
Blackmar,  who  was  the  composer  of  some  of  the  most  popular  songs  of 
the  south.  Mr.  Blackmar  was  by  birth  a  northern  man;  he  was  born  in 
the  state  of  Ohio,  in  1826,  and  graduated  from  the  Western  Reserve 
College  in  1845.  Shortly  afterward  he  went  south,  where  he  ever  after- 
ward resided.  He  devoted  himself  to  teaching  music,  leading  bands  and 
other  branches  of  the  art.  After  following  these  departments  of  the  pro- 
fession, Mr.  Blackmar  went  to  Xew  Orleans  and  engaged  in  music  pub- 
lishing. He  wrote  and  published  many  war  songs,  which  found  favor  in 
the  minds  of  the  southern  people. 

Mr.  Blackmar  wrote  under  his  own  name  and  also  under  the  name  of 
"Armand,"  his  songs  being  great  favorites  under  both  signatures.  When 
the  city  of  New  Orleans  was  taken  by  the  federal  forces,  Mr.  Blackmar' s 
business  was  seriously  interfered  with,  and  this  is  the  reason  why  some  of 
the  songs  most  widely  sung  at  the  time  of  the  war  are  now  very  difficult 
to  obtain.  Among  his  most  popular  songs  were  The  Southroii' s  Chaicnt  of 
Defiance,  the  words  of  which  were  written  by  a  Kentuck}-  ladj-;  That 
Btiglcr;  For  Bales;  Carolina,  and  a  great  number  of  others. 

Stephen  C.  Foster. 
It  would  be  unjust  to  write  the  biographical  sketches  of  the  com- 
posers of  patriotic  songs  without  referring  to  Stephen  C.  Foster,  who, 
though  better  known  bj'  reason  of  ballads  of  a  different  nature,  also  wrote 
some  lyrics  of  the  war  that  were  among  the  most  famous  of  their  era. 
Among  the  best  of  these  were.  We've  a  Million  in  the  Field;  Stand  by  the 
Flai^:  For  the  Dear  Old  Flag  I  Die,  and  Was  My  Brother  in  the  Battle?  A 
more  extensive  reference  to  Mr.  Foster  and  his  relation  to  American  music 
will  be  found  in  another  department  of  this  historj'.  His  wai  songs 
formed  only  a  very  small  portion  of  his  work  as  a  writer  of  music  for  the 
American  people. 

78 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Thk  New  Era  of  Art  Like  succeeding  the  War. 

HERE  are  few  periods  in  the  history  of  any  countr>-,  ancient  or 
niodeni,  in  whicli  progress  in  art  has  been  so  rapid  as  the  progress 
of  music  in  this  countrj-  since  the  war.  Nor  is  it  difficult  to 
^  account  for  such  a  state  of  things.  In  the  first  place,  as  we  have 
seen,  there  had  been  a  vast  amount  of  seed  sowing,  and  diligent  cul- 
tivating, preparatory  to  the  gratifying  harvest,  now  in  course  of  gath- 
ering. For  example,  in  the  educational  plane,  the  efforts  of  Lowell 
Mason  to  introduce  music  into  the  public  schools,  and  the  success  that 
had  attended  his  work,  together  with  the  wide  discussion  and  atlvertising 
they  received  through  teachers'  institutes  and  educational  {x-riodicals,  did 
much  to  form  in  the  wide  general  field  a  public  opinion  favorable  to  music 
as  an  art  worth  looking  into,  and  in  a  more  contracted  sphere  to  ground  a 
real  musical  culture.  This  work  was  furthered  by  the  musical  conven- 
tions held  in  all  parts  of  the  country  before  the  war,  and  to  a  limited 
extent  during  the  war.  While  they  did  not  attain  to  a  culture  of  nuisic 
upon  a  high  art  plane,  or  reach  downward  with  any  great  depth  of  root, 
they  nevertheless  served  to  advertise  the  art  of  music,  to  call  attention  to 
it,  and  to  awaken  here  and  there,  in  susceptible  souls,  an  echo  and  a  proph- 
ecy of  its  fitness  for  supplying  a  want  hitherto,  and  but  for  this  means, 
unfelt.  This  general  interest  in  educational  circles  was  emphasized  pop- 
ularly through  the  operation  of  various  speculative  enterprises  of  a  musical 
nature,  in  which  for  one  reason  or  another  the  pre.ss  had  co-operated  to 
.such  good  purpose  as  to  make  music  and  certain  artists  common  matters 
of  conversation,  where  but  a  few  years  previously  no  such  subject  was 
recognized  as  ]X)ssessing  a  public  interest.  The  irrepressible  Bamum  had 
set  the  ball  rolling  in  1S54,  with  his  famous  tour  of  Jenny  Lind.  All  the 
country  talked  of  her;  of  her  simple  {personality,  no  doubt  fitted  with  a 
halo  somewhat  too  large  for  sober  fact,  but  none  too  large  for  the  work 
•now  in  question.  Her  name  remained  a  tradition  in  active  service  as  sub- 
ject of  common  interest  for  ten  years  or  more.     To  give  an  idea  of  the 

79 


value  of  this  thread  for  moving  popular  interest,  mention  may  be  made  of 
a  vocalist,  a  singer  of  comedy  songs,  one  Ossian  E.  Dodge,  who  made  his 
stock  in  trade  for  advertising  purposes  to  consist  in  the  fact  that  he  had 
paid  the  highest  price  ever  paid  for  a  concert  ticket,  the  same  being  $625 
for  choice  of  seats  at  Jenny  Lind's  first  concert  in  Boston.  After  the  Lind, 
many  other  artists  were  brought  over,  and  the  same  tactics  were  tried 
with  the  press  and  the  public  through  this  agencj',  for  the  most  part  with 
considerable  success.  There  was  Thalberg,  the  suave  pianist;  Gottschalk, 
the  most  sensational  of  American  pianists;  Wm.  Mason,  then  just  back 
from  his  studies  with  Liszt,  and  a  number  of  singers.  In  remote  parts  of 
the  countrj"  there  were  serious  and  ideal  souls  reading  the  elegantly  writ- 
ten pages  of  Mr.  Dwight'  s/ou ma/  of  Music,  in  which  the  every-day  atmos- 
phere of  "  news  "  gave  place  to  discussions  of  "  art  for  art's  own  sake." 
The  value  of  this  journal,  as  a  factor  in  the  interchange  of  ideas  bQtween 
the  few  minds  in  the  whole  country  then  having  interest  in  the  art  of 
music  in  this  high  sense,  caimot  be  overestimated.  While  the  number 
of  copies  circulated  never  reached  any  high  figure,  the  change  of  pub- 
lication from  the  hands  of  the  editor  himself,  with  his  honest  little  sub- 
scription list  of  500  or  600,  to  those  of  the  great  publishing  house  of  Ditson 
&  Co.  with  their  numberless  exchanges  and  complimentar\-  subscriptions, 
operated  to  give  Mr.  Dwight  an  audience  which  under  other  circumstances 
he  could  not  have  attained,  as  the  country  then  was. 

Meanwhile,  opera  in  various  forms  was  coming  to  the  front,  as  has 
been  related,  generallj^  to  fail  disastrously  from  a  financial  standpoint,  but 
never  until  the  season  had  done  something  to  strengthen  popular  interest 
in  this  form  of  art.  It  was  the  same  with  orchestral  music.  Besides  the 
concerts  of  the  little  but  efficacious  Gennania  Musical  Society,  whose  art- 
enthusiastic  efforts  are  recounted  in  the  previous  chapter,  there  was  the 
orchestra  of  the  sensational  JuUien.  the  first  full  orchestra  ever  playing  in 
America.  He  had  sixty  musicians.  He  was  a  popular  leader,  with  quite 
a  leaven  of  charlatanism  in  him,  but  he  was  al.so  a  good  conductor,  and 
his  orchestra  is  well  entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  urged  progress  in 
this  field  with  more  vigor  than  before.  Moreover,  he  deserves  honor  for 
producing  with  real  sympathy  and  an  adequate  setting  the  symphonies 
of  an  early  American  artist. 

It  would  be  unjust  not  to  recognize  the  influence  of  the  foreign  musi- 
cians located  in  this  country-.  While  many  came  who  were  mere  amateurs, 
and  for  years  held  jilaces  that  might  have  been  more  worthily  filled,  so 
unscrupulously  did  they  cater  to  the  ad  caplandum  taste  of  the  uneducated, 
there  were  many  others  who  represented  the  best  culture  of  European 
musical  circles,  and  who  adapted  themselves  to  America  and  American 


J 


ideas  willioul  impairing  their  loyally  to  artistic  ideals,  and  who  fouiul  in 
new  environs  invigorating  inspirations.  Otto  Dresel,  Carl  Bergmann, 
Carl  Zerrahn,  Theodore  Ritter,  Asger  Hanierik,  Otto  Singer,  Theo. 
Eisfekl  are  among  the  best  known  representatives  of  this  class.  More- 
over, the  Enropean  edncation  of  several  prominent  American  musi- 
cians began  to  bear  fruit.  Mason,  with  his  traditions  of  Liszt  and  his 
intimacy  with  all  the  leading  virtuosi  of  the  last  half  century:  Gottschalk, 
as  a  performing  artist  of  cosmopolitan  fame  and  popularity,  were  examples 
of  the  unifying  influence  which  ojK'rated  at  second  hand,  at  least,  over  wide 
circles,  and  to  great  effect.  More  than  ail,  the  Man  had  made  himself 
ready.  That  modest  violinist,  Theodore  Thomas,  had  been  engaged  for 
ten  years  in  giving  a  series  of  chaml)er  concerts  in  New  York,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Win.  Ma.^on,  Carl  Bergmann,  Theodore  Mat/.ka  and  Bernard 
Mollenhauer,  which  were  entirely  independent  of  financial  considerations, 
and  regulated  solely  for  securing  the  most  i)erfect  performances  possible 
of  the  very  best  nuisic.  It  is  said  by  those  who  heard  this  organization 
in  its  best  estate  that  the  sympathy  of  their  playing,  the  refinement  and 
taste  of  it,  were  .something  to  dream  over.  Nothing  so  fine  had  ever  been 
done  here  before.  Although  given  to  comparatively  small  audiences  in 
New  York,  the  fame  of  the  concerts  was  widely  extended  through  the 
universal  conunendation  of  the  press,  especially  of  the  New  York  Tyihunc, 
which  at  that  time  had  for  critic  one  of  the  best  of  American  musicians, 
an  artist  prematurely  thrown  into  an  unprepared  environment,  \Vm.  Henr\- 
Fry.  Mr.  Thomas  began  to  direct  an  orchestra  at  Central  Park  garden  in 
1855.  He  made  his  first  organization  of  a  symphony  orchestra  in  1.S64, 
and  his  concerts,  while  not  adequately  supported,  immediately  commanded 
attention  for  the  delicacy,  intelligence  and  general  good  taste  of  his  read- 
ings, and  for  the  cor.sideration  given  to  new  works  and  new  schools  in  his 
repertoire,  all  .such  things  having  been  ruled  out  of  that  of  the  Phil- 
harmonic until  forced  in  by  his  example  some  years  later. 

The  war  itself  was  a  great  awakencr  of  mind.  Wars  always  are.  No 
nation  goes  into  a  life-and-death  struggle  for  a  series  of  years  without 
being  .stirred  to  its  hnvest  depths  of  consciousness.  Sentiment  is  the  ruling 
motive  in  carrying  on  war.  Intellect  jirovides  ways  and  means,  but  only 
in  oljedience  to  a  sentiment  too  strong  to  resist.  Considerations  of  pru- 
dence go  for  nothing.  The  national  life  is  threatened,  and  .sentiment  i.ikes 
control.  Fortunately  this  countr)'  was  strong  enough  materially  to  stand 
the  financial  strain  without  absorbing  its  full  resources.  Although  the 
struggle  was  long  and  terribly  expensive  in  life,  .suffering  ^nd  money,  the 
nation  came  out  of  it  full  of  vigor,  and  with  resources  unimpaired.  The 
million  men,  mustered  out  in  1865,  were  as  energetic  a  set  of  men  as  ever 

81 


carried  a  weapon.  They  were  just  ready  to  begin  to  enjoy  life.  One 
million  of  men  turned  into  the  various  ways  of  ])roductive  employment, 
meant  untold  millions  added  to  the  communal  resources. 

Moreover,  the  people  were  awakened,  unified,  drawn  out  of  local  and 
provincial  littlenes.ses,  and  in  every  way  ready  to  welcome  such  a  new 
factor  of  emotional  expression  and  enjoyment  as  the  art  of  music.  Abound- 
ing national  life  showed  itself  in  every  department  of  work.  Books  and 
newspapers  were  multiplied,  magazines  increa.sed  in  number,  and  literary 
workers  multiplied.  Schools  added  to  their  resources  and  deepened 
their  sj'stems  of  instruction.  An  epoch  of  luxury  and  free  expendi- 
ture was  reached,  unparalleled  in  the  previous  history  of  the  world. 
The  opening  of  the  Pacific  railwajs  added  whole  empires  to  the  available 
domain  of  the  countr)-.  Emigrants  thronged  in  to  settle  the  new  regions. 
With  these  came  al.so  man}'  well  educated  musicians,  the  political  disturb- 
ances in  Europe  in  1870  having  been  particularly  fruitful  of  results  in  this 
way. 

Thus,  from  even*'  point  of  view,  it  was  a  case  where  the  ground  had 
been  well  prepared,  where  much  seed  had  been  sown,  where  the  weather 
had  been  favorable,  and  sunshine  had  matured  the  grain.  From  every 
quarter  thronged  the  reapers. 

Up  to  this  time  musical  effort  had  had  its  chief  seat  of  activity-  in 
New  York  and  Boston.  Now  new  centres  had  arisen,  and  in  the  west 
sprang  up  a  movement  which  soon  put  the  cities  of  Cincinnati  and  Chicago 
upon  an  almost  equal  footing  of  importance,  in  the  musical  sense;  for 
the  western  effort,  bj'  the  excellence  of  its  direction,  the  high  standard 
of  its  labors,  gave  an  impulse  of  virility  to  its  activity  that  compensated 
to  a  large  extent,  in  a  short  time,  for  the  tardiness  of  its  approach.  True, 
these  western  centres  of  population  had  long  had  the  benefit  of  the  labors 
of  many  earnest  musicians,  but  they  had  been  slow  to  respond  to  the  art 
enthusiasm  of  these  laborers.  When  they  did,  however,  awaken  to  the 
dignity  and  importance  of  musical  culture,  they  met  the  zeal  of  those  who 
pointed  out  the  way,  with  an  equal  enthusiasm  and  with  ardent,  liberal 
and  generous  appreciation. 

Now,  also,  the  musical  life  of  the  country  received  the  benefit  of  the 
introduction  of  the  conservatory  system,  and  colleges  of  nuisic  sprang  up 
where  musical  ambition  and  talent  found  opportunity  for  improvement 
and  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  of  the  higher  walks  of  the  art,  hereto- 
fore only  available  in  European  schools,  and  practically,  by  reason  of  its 
expen.se,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  great  majority.  These  institutions 
formed  an  influence  which  powerfully  contributed  to  place  the  whole 
theatre  of  musical  life  upon  a  new  and  higher  ground,  and  to  give  a 

8;! 


more  ambitious  tone  to  the  general  average  of  musical  culture.  Another 
factor  of  vast  importance  to  the  development  of  the  new  art  life  was  the 
organization  of  countless  musical  societies.  In  ante-lK-lluni  days,  musical 
organizations  were  confined  to  large  cities  and,  although  New  York, 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  the  other  great  cities  of  the  east 
had  grown  accustomed  to  the  Avurking  of  several  associations  of  enthu- 
siastic music  lovers,  the  western  cities,  excepting  in  a  few  instances,  sup- 
ported no  such  societies  that  were  worthy  of  mention.  Now,  however, 
musical  clubs  sprang  into  being  in  every  city  and  town.  The  American 
people  gave  loose  rein  to  the  idea  that  they  had  earned  the  right  to 
enjoyment,  and  pleasure  to  a  large  portion  of  tlie  dwellers  in  any  connnu- 
nity  means  the  cultivation  of  art,  not  for  art's  sake  .so  much  as  for  amuse- 
ment. The  older  societies  in  the  great  cities,  whose  operations  were  sus- 
pended when  war  songs  were  the  only  music,  now  resumed  their  careers, 
and  uinninibered  associations  of  musical  amateurs  and  professional  musi- 
cians were  called  into  life.  The  missionary  art  work  carried  on  by  these 
.societies  could  not  fail  to  be  of  vast  benefit  to  American  music  in  general. 
The  widespread  adoption  of  music  as  a  part  of  the  curriculum  of  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  all  the  larger  cities  and  many  of  the  lesser  ones  was  also  a 
most  potent  element  in  the  converting  of  Americans  to  love  for  and  famil- 
iarity with  music.  The  elements  of  music  thus  acquired  in  young  minds 
were  generally  the  awakeners  of  musical  inclinations  and  an  admiration  of 
the  art,  while  in  many  cases  this  rudimentar>-  education  was  the  goad 
which  spurred  the  young  student  on  to  ambition  to  excel  in  music.  Many 
an  American  musician  of  the  present  owes  to  musical  instruction  in  the 
public  .school  that  ambition  which  led  him  to  grand  achievements  for  art. 
But  the  art  that  rose  like  a  phcx-nix  from  the  ashes  of  war  owed  its 
rejuvenation  to  no  one  cause.  It  was  the  result  of  a  combination  of  varied 
forces,  often  seemingly  divergent,  yet  all  in  reality  aiming  toward  the  same 
goal.  The  divinity  of  opera  coming  from  the  old  world  to  astonish  audi- 
ences in  the  new  was  in  reality  only  a  more  brilliant  and  eloquent  mis- 
sionary of  the  same  gospel  tliat  was  preached  in  his  modest  way  by  the 
rural  pedagogue.  The  .school  boy  yearning  for  the  music  hour  to  inter- 
rupt the  current  of  more  sombre  studies,  and  the  majestic  musician  eager 
for  the  distinction  of  wielding  a  baton  for  the  direction  of  a  symphony 
were  each  types  of  the  love  for  music  and  the  ambition  to  excel  in  it  tliat 
at  this  period  took  possession  of  American  people. 


83 


CHAPTER  X. 

Psalmody  and  Popular  Music  after  the  War. 

''T  the  middle  of  the  present  centun-,  there  was  little  or  no  earnest 
musical  effort,  outside  of  two  or  three  of  the  largest  cities,  which 
M^f^  was  not  included  in  the  range  of  culture  represented  by  Lowell 
Mason  and  his  associates;  for,  in  addition  to  their  own  compositions 
and  arrangements  of  tunes  for  church  and  singing  school  use,  they 
also  effected  a  great  deal  in  the  way  of  introducing  the  leading 
choruses  from  the  great  oratorios.  After  the  war  this  ceased  to  be  the 
case.  As  already  indicated,  musical  societies  were  organized  here  and 
there,  for  the  studj'  of  single  works  entire,  or  selections  from  the  higher 
class  of  choral  works,  and  the  administration  of  these  societies  was  carried 
on  largely  by  local  conductors.  In  this  way  there  was  a  widespread  dif- 
fusion of  ideas  about  music,  and  in  almost  ever>'  community  there  were  a 
few  music  lovers,  whose  e}-es  were  fixed  upon  the  great  stars  of  the  musical 
heavens,  such  as  Handel,  Haydn,  Mozart  and  Beethoven  —  the  last  name, 
in  those  daj's,  generally  concluding  the  popular  musical  chronology. 
These  idealistic  ones  formed  a  sort  of  inner  brotherhood  by  themselves, 
and  held  aloof  from  the  popular  culture  of  music,  as  represented  by  the 
convention  and  choir  books  of  the  successors  of  Lowell  Mason.  They 
looked  for  something  better  in  the  way  of  church  music,  and  formed  the 
original  public  supporting  the  well  written  choir  music  of  Dudley  Buck 
and  other  writers  of  similar  rank,  as  will  appear  later,  when  progress  in  Amer- 
ican musical  creation  comes  up  for  consideration.  Hence,  with  the  growth 
of  taste  for  the  higher  class  of  music  as  represented  upon  the  pianoforte, 
this  separation  between  the  advanced  and  elementary  grades  of  musical 
enthusiasm  and  knowledge  became  wider  and  wider,  and  had  the  effect  of 
leaving  the  popular  convention  men  without  an  adequate  constituenc}'  for 
classical  music.  Moreover,  the  progress  of  public  interest  in  music  later- 
ally and  downward  through  the  social  order,  brought  into  connection 
with  this  art    a  large  class  of  people  whose  interest  in  it  was  mainly 

S4 


W.  B.  Bradbury. 


85 


emotional  and  instinctive,  their  range  of  intellectual  sympathy  scarcely 
extending  beyond  that  of  the  district  school.  Art,  as  an  abstraction,  they 
knew  nothing  about;  singing,  as  an  agreeable  exercise,  was  the  form  of 
musical  delight  attracting  them  to  a  master.  Hence  these  new  workers 
turned  more  and  more  to  the  people,  in  this  democratic  sense,  and  the 
psalmody  books,  as  well  as  those  for  singing  schools,  have  been  generally 
easier  in  late  years,  and  less  related  to  the  higher  art  of  music  than  was 
formerly  the  case.  Still,  it  would  be  a  great  mistake  to  ignore  or  speak 
contemptuously  of  the  workers  in  this  field,  many  of  them  men  of  no  small 
originality,  earnestness  of  purpose  and  organizing  ability.  Whatever 
may  be  regarded  as  the  defects  of  their  sj-stems,  when  tried  with  reference 
to  the  demands  of  the  higher  musical  knowledge,  their  ministrations  have 
been  and  still  are  the  beginning,  the  middle,  and  too  often  the  end  of  pop- 
ular interest  in  the  art  of  music  over  large  regions  of  the  country.  Hence, 
it  is  necessary  to  resume  here  the  narrative  of  effort  in  this  department, 
beginning  where  we  left  it  (page  44)  at  the  death  of  Lowell  Mason. 

After  Mason,  the  name  next  in  importance  in  this  direction  is  that  of 
William  Batchelder  Bradbury,  a  considerable  iiumber  of  whose  melodies  are 
constantly  in  use  in  evangelical  congregations. 

Wm.  B.  Bradbury. 

William  Batchelder  Bradbury  was  born  at  York,  Me.,  in  18 16.  He 
came  of  a  good  family,  his  grandfather  having  been  one  of  the  signers  of 
the  declaration  of  independence.  His  father  and  mother  were  both  mu- 
sical, and  his  father  was  leader  of  the  choir.  Young  Bradbury  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  until  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  when  the  family  removed, 
to  Boston,  where  he  saw  a  piano  and  organ  for  the  first  time.  Before  this 
he  had  taught  himself  to  play  upon  such  instruments  as  were  within 
reach.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  in  Boston  and  heard  music  of  a  better  kind, 
he  decided  that  he  would  be  a  nmsician.  Accordingly  he  took  lessons  and 
within  three  years  began  to  be  recognized  as  a  competent  organist.  He 
removed  to  New  York  in  1840  and  began  his  career  as  teacher  of  music. 
Seven  years  later,  when  he  was  thirtj''  j-ears  old,  he  took  his  family  for  a 
trip  abroad,  visiting  the  usual  countries  of  a  first  tour.  He  spent  some 
time  at  Leipzig  in  study.  In  1S49  he  returned  to  New  York,  when  his 
career  as  conductor  of  musical  conventions  and  editor  of  singing  books 
began.  He  was  a  natural  money  maker,  and  in  1854,  in  connection  with 
his  brother,  E.  G.  Bradbury,  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of  the  Brad- 
bur}'  pianos,  which  at  one  time  were  very  successful.  He  died  at  Mont- 
clair,  N.  J.,  Jan.  8,  186S.  Of  his  twenty  collections  of  music,  ih^  Jubilee, 
published  in   1S5S,  reached  a  sale  of  more  than  two  hundred  thousand 

86 


copies.  The  success  of  these  books  was  due  to  the  pleasing  quality  of  the 
music  in  them,  especially  the  compositions  of  Mr.  Bradbury  himself. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  melodists  of  all  the  American  j^alniodists.  His 
tunes  have  an  easy,  natural  flow,  cjuite  similar  to  the  melodies  of  Mozart, 
although,  it  need  not  be  said,  upon  a  much  lower  a.'sthetic  plane.  The 
harmonies  are  simple  and  natural,  and  many  of  his  hynni  tunes  still  in 
use  are  among  the  best  that  AniLrican  writers  have  produced.  His  .sacred 
cantata  of  £"j///<v  had  an  enormous  success,  having  been  sung  thousands 
of  times  as  a  cantata,  and  represented  as  an  opera  with  costumes  and 
scenery  many  hundreds  of  times,  and  singularly  enough  almost  always 
with  great  financial  success.  A  genuine  musical  life  shows  itself  in  the 
melodies  of  this  writer  quite  as  plainly  as  in  the  secular  songs  of  that 
prince  of  American  melodists,  Stephen  C.  Foster. 

Contemporary  with  the  later  years  of  Dr.  Mason  was  a  worker  in  the 
same  field,  who  had  a  large  following  in  his  life  time,  and  whose  melodies 
still  form  part  of  evangelical  song.  Lsaac  B.  \Voodbur>-,  was  born  at 
Beverly,  Mass.,  Oct.  i8,  i8ig.  In  early  life  he  was  apprenticeJ  to  the 
trade  of  a  blacksmith,  but  he  devoted  his  spare  moments  to  nmsic.  Having 
a  good  voice,  he  joined  the  Bay  State  Glee  Club  in  1839,  giving  perform- 
ances in  various  towns  near  Boston.  In  1851  he  went  abroad  for  study, 
and  upon  his  return  located  at  New  York  and  entered  immediately  upon 
a  career  of  composing  psalmody,  conducting  conventions,  editing  books, 
etc.,  after  manner  of  Lowell  Mason.  Among  the  best  of  his  tunes  still  in 
use  are  Siloam,  Eucharist,  etc.  Mr.  Woodbury  died  comparatively  young, 
Oct.  26,  1858,  at  the  age  of  thirty-nine.  His  melodies  are  not  so  strong 
as  those  of  Bradbury,  but  his  music  is  pleasing. 

Contemporary  with  Mr.  Bradbury  was  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Root,  whose  per- 
sonal history  has  already  been  recounted  in  coimection  with  his  great  his- 
toric function  as  composer  of  war  songs.  (See  page  68. )  It  would  be  unjust, 
however,  to  pass  unnoticed  his  activity  as  a  composer  of  church  and  Sun- 
day school  tunes,  many  of  which  have  had  little  less  popularity  than  his 
most  famous  wai  songs.  Such  melodies  as  Come  to  the  Saviour  and  Shining 
Shore,  and  such  choir  tunes  as  \  'arina,  arranged  by  Mr.  Root  from  a 
melody  by  Rink,  in  the  long  run  are  scarcely  less  precious  additions  to 
popular  musical  delight  than  the  great  war  songs  which  made  his  name  so 
famous.  Mr.  Root  also  has  a  representative  value  in  this  connection, 
even  greater  than  that  of  Bradbury,  as  the  head  of  a  large  following  of 
teachers,  educated  in  his  normal  musical  in.stitutes,  which  he  has  held  for 
many  years  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  With  popular  musical  education, 
farther,  Mr.  Root  has  come  in  connection  through  his  elementary  instruc- 
tion books  for  different  instruments,  especially  the  pianoforte  book.  The 

87 


Afusica/  Curnailum,  published  in  1870,  and  afterward  revised  and  in  par 
re-written.     As  a  primer  this  book  is  of  no  small  interest. 

Another  well  known  writer  of  music  of  all  the  classes  under  consider- 
ation in  this  chapter,  is  Mr.  L.  O.  Eraenson,  author  of  the  well  known 
tune,  Sessions,  and  many  pleasing  quartettes,  Sundaj'  school  songs,  and 
various  instruction  books. 

LuTHKR  Orlando  Emerson 

Was  born  Aug.  3,  1820,  at  Parsonfield,  Me.,  the  youngest  son  of  Luther 
Emerson,  a  farmer.  It  was  a  m-isical  family,  but  there  was  little  oppor- 
tunity in  that  place  for  the  cultivation  of  music.  His  father,  however, 
bought  him  a  violoncello  and  gave  him  instructions,  so  that  in  a  short 
time  he  was  able  to  play  in  the  village  choir.  When  he  was  of  age  he 
went  to  Boston  and  was  able  to  attend  the  Dracut  Academy,  Mass. ,  where 
he  continued  his  practice  of  music.  At  the  age  of  twenty-four  he  began 
a  course  of  musical  instruction  imder  the  late  I.  B.  Woodbury,  and  con- 
tinued it  with  some  of  the  best  teachers  in  Boston.  He  studied  the  voice, 
piano,  organ  and  harmony  for  several  years,  and  then  started  as  a  teacher 
at  Salem,  Mass.,  where  he  remained  for  six  years.  During  this  time  he 
composed  a  collection  of  choir  hymns  and  anthems,  and,  after  a  hard 
struggle,  succeeded  in  securing  its  publication,  but  it  proved  a  failure. 
From  Salem  he  returned  to  Boston  to  accept  the  position  of  organist  and 
director  of  music  at  the  Bullfinch  street  church,  which  he  held  for  four 
years. 

The  following  eight  years  were  spent  as  organist  of  the  Second  Con- 
gregational church,  at  Greenfield,  Mass.,  and  in  charge  of  the  musical 
department  of  Powers'  Institute,  at  Bernardston,  Mass.  Lately  Mr.  Em- 
erson has  given  up  all  his  time  to  raising  the  standard  of  church  music, 
and  to  this  end  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  musical  conventions  and 
festivals  all  over  the  country.  He  is  also  well  known  as  a  lecturer  on 
music  and  as  a  baritone  singer. 

His  principal  work  has  been  as  a  composer  of  church  and  school 
music.  Among  his  publications  are  the  Golden  Wreath,  a  song  book  for 
schools;  the  (iolden  Harp,  a  Sunday  school  book;  Sabbath  Harmony,  for 
churches;  Harp  of  Judah,  one  of  the  most  popular  of  church  music  books; 
Jubilate,  Choral  Tribute,  Standard  and  Leader,  all  for  churches;  Voice  oj 
Worship ;  Emerson's  Vocal  Afethod,  in  all  about  thirty-five  books  for 
churches,  .schools,  societies  and  the  household.  Besides  these,  Mr.  Em- 
erson is  also  the  author  of  a  luimber  of  songs,  notablj-.  We  are  Coming;, 
Father  Abraham,  a  war  song  often  sung  by  the  .soldiers  during  that  time; 
Whittier's  jVeQ-ro  Boatman  s  Son^;,  Out  in  the  Cold  and  many  others. 


t 


LrTiii:K  ( ).   liMERSON. 


1*9 


Mr.  Eiuerson  is  the  best  melodist  of  all  the  psalmody  writers,  and 
if  he  had  received  proper  technical  training  when  young  would  undoubt- 
edly' have  distinguished  himself  as  a  composer  of  anthems  and  services, 
his  sense  of  the  dramatic  significance  of  music  being  uimsually  acute. 

Mr.  H.  R.  Palmer  is  another  name  prominent  throughout  the  whole 
of  this  epoch.      His  story  is  as  follows: 

HoR.\Tio  Richmond  Palmer,  Mus.  Doc. 

This  well  known  composer  of  vocal  music  was  born  April  26,  1834, 
at  Sherburne,  N.  Y.  When  nine  jears  old  he  began  to  sing  alto  in  his 
father's  choir,  and  when  seventeen  became  organist  and  choir  master.  In 
1 86 1  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where,  in  1866,  he  commenced  editing  and 
publishing  The  Concordia,  a  musical  monthly.  The  following  j-ear  he 
published  his  first  collection  of  music.  The  Song  Queen,  which  reached 
the  enormous  sale  of  200,000  copies.  Of  the  Song  King,  published  in 
1871,  a  still  larger  number  of  copies  was  sold.  His  Theory  of  Music  (1876) 
clearly  and  concisely  presents  the  elements  of  thoroughbass,  harmony, 
composition  and  form.  During  six  of  the  fifteen  years  of  Dr.  Palmer's 
residence  in  Chicago,  he  was  cliorister  of  the  second  Baptist  church.  His 
reputation  was  already  well  established  and  rapidly  growing.  Nearly 
ever}.-  moment  of  his  time  was  consumed  by  various  duties,  and  even  the 
Sabbath  could  hardly  be  called  a  day  of  rest.  Sometimes  his  engagements 
for  successive  weeks  would  be  nearh-  fifteen  hundred  miles  apart.  His 
duties  still  keep  him  busy,  and  he  has  little  time  for  pleasure,  except  such 
as  is  found  in  labor.  During  the  last  fifteen  years  he  has  visited  nearly 
every  state  in  the  Union  as  conductor  and  lecturer.  In  1874  he  removed 
to  New  York,  where  he  still  resides.  He  had  charge  of  the  Church  Choral 
Union,  organized  in  that  city.  The  first  season  was  begun  in  March, 
1881,  with  250  singers.  At  tlie  commencement  of  the  second  season 
(1882)  the  number  had  increased  to  1,600,  and  at  the  commencement  of 
the  third  sea.son  (,1883)  to  4,200.  Its  object  was  to  elevate  the  standard 
of  music  in  the  churches.  He  spent  part  of  the  years  1877,  1878,  1881 
and  1882  in  visiting  interesting  portions  of  the  old  world.  The  degree  of 
doctor  of  music  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  University  of  Chicago  in 
June,  1880,  and  also  by  the  Alfred  University,  N.  Y.,  in  June,  1881.  Dr. 
Palmer  now  has  charge  of  the  music  departments  of  the  Chautauqua 
assemblies  in  Georgia,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Wisconsin,  and  at  the  great 
Chautauqua  assembly  in  New  York,  and  has  inaugurated  a  new  order  of 
musical  progress  in  such  as.semblies.  He  is  the  author  of  numerous  com- 
positions, distingui.shed  for  grace,  purity  and  melodiousness,  which  are  de- 
servedly popular.     His  published  works  consist  of  seventeen  collections 


> 


V 


^a 


k 


d^vwwy  ^ 


of  imi!-ic  for  choir  and  singing  classes,  including  several  collections  of 
antliems,  eight  text  books  of  musical  theory  and  four  collections  of  Sunday 
school  songs. 

I'c-  A-  writers  have  been  more  persistent,  and  few  teachers  have  covered 
a  wider  range  of  territory  than  Mr.  H.  vS.  Perkins,  author  of  many  books 
for  popular  consumption,  but  his  personal  history  will  be  given  later,  in 
connection  with  the  history  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association. 

The  process  of  musical  difterentation  presently  asserted  itself  in  the 
sudden  appearance  of  popular  song  writers  for  Sunday  schools,  seizing  at 
their  very  first  appearance  the  ear  of  the  pui)lic,  and  retaining  it  for  years, 
their  works  being  circulated  by  millions.  In  the  beginning  of  the  Sunday 
school  movement,  the  children  sang  the  ordinary  chorals  of  the  church. 
The  same  reasons  which  led  to  the  production  of  story  books  and  text 
books  expressh'  within  the  limitations  and  habits  of  child  thought,  led  to 
the  production  of  these  songs,  equally  simple,  spontaneous  and  well 
adapted  to  the  subject  matter  of  the  lessons.  One  of  the  first  writers  to 
attain  wide  popularitj'  in  this  department  was  Rev.  B.  Lowry. 

As  a  spontaneous  and  ever  readj'  melodist,  with  the  true  cadence  of 
the  popular  idea,  is  to  be  mentioned  the  name  of  that  magnificent  speci- 
men of  physical  and  moral  manhood,  Mr.  P.  P.  Bliss,  who  was  removed 
from  earth  just  when  his  fame  began  to  spread. 

Phillip  P.  Bliss. 

Phillip  Paul  Bliss  was  born  in  Clearfield  county,  Pa.,  July  9,  1838. 
In  early  life  he  showed  a  fondness  for  music,  and  became  a  steady  attend- 
ant at  singing  schools  and  a  singer  in  choirs.  Later  he  taught  singing 
schools  upon  his  own  account.  He  presently  fell  under  the  influence  of  Dr. 
Geo.  F.  Root,  who  conceived  a  great  liking  for  him.  Bliss  was  with 
Dr.  Root  in  several  summers  of  his  normal  schools.  Under  the  training 
of  Mr.  Fred  Root,  Bliss'  splendid  bass  voice  began  to  be  cultivated,  and 
later  he  sang  the  bass  solos  oi Elijah,  and  The  Messiah  with  great  effect.  He 
was  engaged  to  conduct  musical  conventions  for  the  house  of  Root  &  Cady, 
in  which  relation  he  made  many  friends  in  all  parts  of  the  countr}-.  He 
had  already  begun  to  compose  church  tunes,  and  his  compositions,  like 
those  of  many  others  of  Dr.  Root's  disciples,  found  place  in  new  singing 
books  in  process  of  production.  In  the  same  way  he  made  his  debut  as  a 
writer  of  Sunday  school  songs.  Of  these  he  wrote  the  words  and  music 
both.  Indeed,  he  began  as  a  writer  of  words,  his  first  songs  being  com- 
posed by  Mr.  Root.  Later,  he  developed  his  faculty  for  simple  and  natural 
melody,  and  jiroduced  those  stirring  songs,  Iloid  the  Fort,  Only  an  Armor 
Bearer,  Pull  for  the  Shore,  Rescue  the  Perishing,  etc.     In  his  last  years 

9» 


II.  r.  MA^^. 


93 


<  IIKSTKH    AI.I.KN. 


Mr.  Bliss  was  connected  with  the  gospel  meetings  of  Major  I).  W.  Whittle. 
He  perished  in  the  railway  horror  of  Ashtabula,  Dec.  29,  1876.  In  person, 
Mr.  Bliss  was  fully  six  feet  high,  with  an  attractive  countenance  and  a 
manly  carriage.  His  spirit  was  singularly  sweet,  and  everybody  liked 
him  who  knew  him.  The  editor  of  the  present  work  will  never  forget  a 
letter  he  had  from  Mr.  Bliss  soon  after  an  article  of  his  had  appeared  in 
the  Independent,  speaking  rather  slightingly  of  several  singers  and  writers  of 
Mr.  Bliss'  class.  Unfortunately  the  letter  is  lost,  but  its  .spirit  was  such 
as  to  make  a  lasting  impression. 

Among  the  successful  melodists  whose  work  will  long  be  remembered 
is  the  name  of  Mr.  J.  P.  Webster,  author  of  The  Sivcet  By  and  By,  who 
was  born  at  Manchester,  N.  H.,  about  1830,  and  died  in  Wi.sconsiu  about 
1877.  Mr.  Webster's  career  was  not  different  from  that  of  many  other 
self-taught  composers.  He  was  first  a  singer,  then  a  composer  and  a 
teacher  of  classes.  Lacking  business  faculty,  he  failed  to  organize  a 
following  or  to  make  nionej-  from  his  works,  but  his  natural  gift  of  melody 
was  uncommonly  good.  Manj^  songs  of  his  were  published,  and  one 
collection  of  Sundaj'  school  music,  which  sold  largely  upon  the  single 
recommendation  of  containing  The  Sweet  By  atid  By. 

Several  efforts  have  been  made  by  different  writers  to  elevate  the 
musical  character  of  Sunday  school  music,  but  with  unimportant  results, 
for  the  same  reason  that  an  effort  to  materially  elevate  the  character  of 
children's  books  would  probably  result  in  failure.  Among  the  most  praise- 
worthy of  these  was  that  of  Messrs.  S.  Lasar  and  Hubert  P.  Main,  who 
published  the  work  called  The  Sabbath  School  Hynuial. 

Hubert  Platt  Main. 

Mr.  Main  was  born  in  Ridgefield,  Coini.,  Aug.  17,  1839,  and 
when  ten  years  old  was  able  to  read  the  music  of  Bradbury-  and  Woodbury 
by  note  or  syllable.  He  removed  to  New  York  in  1854,  and  commenced 
writing  hymn  tunes  and  songs,  which  were  published  in  the  New  York 
Musical  Piojieer,  and  in  some  of  the  church  tune  collections  of  that  time. 

He  was  for  some  time  employed  in  a  mercantile  house,  and  in  the 
evening  assisted  his  father,  who  was  then  engaged  in  compiling  books  for 
publishers.  He  became  connected  with  the  hou.se  of  Biglow  &  Main,  at 
its  foundation  in  February,  1868.  and  has  superintended  the  compilation 
and  issue  of  everj-  book  put  out  by  this  firm  up  to  date.  He  has  written 
much  Sunday  .school  music,  many  hymn  tunes,  and  a  few  anthems,  songs, 
etc.  He  was  one  of  the  editors  of  the  /  'ictory.  Coronation,  Itnperial, 
Harmony,  Winnowed  Hymns,  Sterlinir  Authors,  Church  Praise  Book,  Book 
of  Praise,  New  Organ  Folio,  Hymns  of  Praise,  services,  etc. 


Mr.  Lasar  is  an  organist  in  Brooklyn,  an  accomplished  nuisician  and 
a  good  composer  of  songs  for  female  voices,  of  which  he  has  made  one 
or  two  collections.  More  definite  information  concerning  him  has  not 
come  to  hand.  The  book  here  referred  to  did  not  succeed,  l)eing  several 
degrees  too  high  for  the  popular  taste.  But  as  an  illu.stration  of  what 
ought  to  have  succeeded,  it  cannot  pass  without  notice. 

Two  other  names  arc  particularly  well  known  in  this  department,  yet 
neither  is  strictly  appropriate  to  the  present  work.  Ira  I).  Sankey  is  a 
popular  singer,  who  has  a  large  following,  drawn  to  him  by  his  originally 
beautiful  voice,  and  the  sincerity  and  depth  of  expression  with  which  he 
interprets  his  "Gospel  Songs,"  to  use  the  appropriate  term,  originated,  it 
is  believed,  by  Mr.  Dwight  L.  Moody.  Mr.  Phillipp  Phillipps  occupies 
an  analogous  position  in  the  Methodist  denomination,  but  he  has  devoted 
his  talents  to  commercial  uses,  and  is  neither  a  musician  nor  an  evan- 
gelist. 

From  a  nuisical  standpoint,  all  of  these  men  suffered  from  insuf- 
ficient professional  preparation.  While  their  productions  are  not  illiter- 
ate, as  were  those  of  the  Billings  period  of  American  psalmody,  they  also 
fall  short  of  the  dignity  of  the  best  of  Lowell  Mason's  work.  The.se 
authors  were  essentially  the  people's  singers,  like  the  self-taught  minstrels 
of  the  olden  times,  who,  in  everything  that  they  did,  were  "of  the  people, 
for  the  people,  and  by  the  people."  They  represent  the  average  musical 
consciousness  of  this  country,  self-developed  by  the  influences  of  rural 
environment,  and  undisturbed  by  imperfectly  assimilated  musical  training. 

Popular  Secular  Music. 

The  tiiorough  stirring  up  of  the  national  consciousness  effected  by 
the  war  had  brought  out  a  multitude  of  writers  of  patriotic  songs,  as 
already  noticed  in  a  preceding  chapter.  When  the  war  ended,  what  we 
might  call  the  national  common  denominator  of  patriotic  feeling  was  dis- 
solved. The  stream  of  national  feeling  was  divided  into  innumerable 
smaller  ones,  but  the  desire  to  sing  and  to  be  pleased  with  music  was  not  by 
any  means  wanting.  Hence  the  current  of  musical  productivity  continued 
after  the  war  with  increase  rather  than  with  abatement;  but  the  .subjects  of 
the  poets  ceased  to  be  national  and  patriotic,  not  to  say  partisan,  and  took 
the  wider  range  of  domestic  and  rural  life  in  general.  Withal,  there 
was  a  general  interest  in  musical  instruments,  and  reed  organs  and  pianos 
were  found  ever>'vvhere.  Musical  education  had  become  more  general, 
and  the  young  composers  had  iK-tter  trained  ears  than  their  predecessors, 
as  well  as  better  scluxjled  musicianship.  Therefore  there  was  nxim  for 
'  song  writers  of  a  higher  type,  several  of  whom  now  appeared.     But  before 

95 


speaking  of  them  it  is  necessary  to  revert  for  a  moment  to  the  greatest 
genius  of  all,  the  lamented  author  of  Old  Folks  at  Home. 

Stephen  C.  Foster. 

Stephen  Collins  Foster  was  born  Jul}'  4,  1826,  at  Lawrenceburgh.  Pa., 
now  part  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh.  His  father,  a  prosperous  and  honored 
merchant,  came  originally  from  \'irginia.  The  boy  was  educated  at  the 
academy,  and  in  1841  entered  Jefferson  college  at  Cannonsburgh,  where 
he  finished  his  education.  After  this  he  acted  as  bookkeeper  for  his 
brother,  studying  German,  French,  drawing  and  painting  in  his  leisure 
moments.  In  his  school  days  he  had  made  a  beginning  as  composer  of 
several  popular  pianoforte  pieces  and  songs.  These  he  submitted  to  the 
criticism  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Henry  Kleber,  a  musician  of  Pittsburgh,  from 
whose  advice  he  derived  no  small  advantage.  At  length  it  happened  that 
a  minstrel  troupe  being  in  town,  he  submitted  to  them  his  song.  Oh,  Sus- 
annah! Upon  singing  the  song  it  was  found  to  be  very  successful.  The 
audience  received  it  with  acclaim.  The  future  career  of  the  composer  was 
decided,  and  henceforth  he  was  a  writer  of  people's  songs.  The  advice 
of  friends  that  he  educate  his  musical  talents,  he  rejected,  from  a  fear  that 
it  might  injure  his  originality.  Later  he  discovered  that  the  effect  of  edu- 
cation is  to  increa.se  originality  rather  than  diminish  it,  because  it  gives  a 
man  full  use  of  his  natural  talents  in  the  easiest  and  most  effective  way. 
The  peculiar  negro  flavor  of  many  of  his  songs  he  acquired  b}-  attending 
negro  camp  meetings.  In  1854  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie  McDowell. 
But  it  was  only  a  few  years  before  dissipated  habits  had  ruined  prospects 
once  so  bright.  He  went  to  New  York,  sinking  lower  and  lower,  haunt- 
ing groceries  and  cheap  hotels,  where  he  produced  some  of  his  sweetest 
melodies  amid  surroundings  as  uncongenial  and  unpoeticascanbe  imagined. 
He  died  in  1864.  He  was  unfortunate  as  a  business  man.  Although  his 
compositions  sold  enormously,  his  Old  Folks  at  Home  having  reached  a 
sale  of  half  a  million  copies,  he  received  little  or  nothing  for  it.  It  was 
the  same  with  his  other  songs,  the  composer  being  compelled  \y\  his  neces- 
sities to  accept  the  meagre  sums  the  publishers  were  willing  to  offer.  In 
figure  he  was  slight,  a  little  below  middle  height,  with  a  timid  expression 
of  countenance,  soft  brown  eyes,  and  a  lofty  forehead.  His  life  and  story 
remind  one  of  the  unfortunate  litterateur,  Edgar  Allan  Poe;  both  were 
geniuses  of  whom  America  is  proud,  but  to  whom  while  living  the  world 
made  a  .sorrj-  return. 

A  popular  song  is  the  most  difficult  thing  to  account  for  in  the  whole 
domain  of  music.  \\\\\  one  .song  .should  thrive  and  another  preci.sely 
similar  should  fall  uimoticed  from  the  press,  is  something  which  many  a 


^--^o^i^tiX 


97 


young,  and  old  composer,  too,  would  give  much  to  learn.  E\ery  popular 
melody  will  be  found  on  examination  to  be  very  much  like  something 
else,  generally  like  a  melody  by  an  older  and  more  capable  writer.  A 
folks  song,  nine  times  out  often,  is  a  degradation  of  type,  a  feebler  remin- 
iscence of  something  better.  Very  many  of  the  melodies  of  Mr.  Geo.  F. 
Root  are  very  like  parts  of  melodies  in  opera.  Dr.  William  Mason  tells 
that  once,  many  years  ago,  he  was  sitting  upon  a  hotel  piazza  watching 
some  negro  roustabouts  unload  the  cargo  of  a  steamer.  As  they  worked 
they  whistled  or  sang  one  melody,  which  seemed  to  him  exactly  like 
\'erdi's  anvil  chorus,  until  a  certain  point  was  reached.  At  this  point 
they  uniformly  turned  aside  and  ended  Verdi's  melodj-  improperly. 
Hearing  this  for  an  hour  or  more  finally  awakened  a  missionary  spirit  in 
the  conscientious  musician,  and  he  strolled  down  to  the  wharf  to  give  the 
dusky  singers  a  lesson,  and  secure  artistic  justice  to  Verdi's  music.  But 
when  he  began  to  teach  them  the  correct  interpretation,  he  seemed  to 
them  to  be  .spoiling  their  melody,  which  upon  farther  investigation  proved 
to  be  Geo.  F.  Root's  Tramp,  Tramp,  the  Boys  Came  Marching.  A  simi- 
lar ca.se  is  known  in  the  pianoforte  piece  by  the  talented  woman,  Thekla 
Badarzew.ski,  whose  Maiden' s  Prayer  was  played  all  over  the  world.  The 
piece  owed  its  popularity  to  its  melody,  which  was  a  very  thin  adap- 
tation of  an  aria  from  an  opera  of  Bellini's.  A  popular  song  represents 
the  average  musical  consciousness.  The  late  Chauncey  Marvin  Cady 
used  to  say  that  the  firm  of  Root  &  Cady  had  on  their  shelves  hundreds 
of  songs  which  ought  to  have  succeeded,  and  would  have  succeeded,  but 
for  some  one  or  two  unfortunate  notes  in  them.  If  the  composers  would 
only  have  listened  to  him,  he  could  have  shown  them  how  to  remove  the 
stumbling  blocks  from  their  road  up  the  sunnj'  side  of  Parnassus. 

The  new  writers  represent  a  higher  strain  of  musical  originalitj',  and 
a  more  musicianlj'  sentiment  commensurate  with  the  widening  and  deep- 
ening of  the  popular  musical  consciousness.  One  of  the  most  popular  of 
recent  writers  is  Mr.  H.  P.  Banks,  as  shown  in  all  directions  covered  by 
the  present  lines  of  inquiry. 

H.vKT  Pease  Daxks. 

This  noted  writer  of  American  ballads  was  born  at  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  April  6,  1834.  His  parents  removed  to  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y., 
in  1842,  and  there  young  Banks  acquired  his  fir.st  rudimentary  education 
at  the  chief  district  school.  It  was  in  that  city  that  he  first  studied 
music,  although  he  had  previously  sung  soprano  in  the  Saratoga  Metho- 
dist church.  His  teacher  was  Dr.  Whiting,  who  at  that  time  was  the 
principal  physician  of  Saratoga,  as  well  as  the  most  cultured  musician 

98 


' 

1. 

M  ^            •  "ill     iiaT     ^^^ 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^m 

" 

99 

in  the  place.  About  the  jear  1851  the  family  moved  to  Chicago,  where 
the  elder  Dank.s  followed  his  trade  as  a  master  builder,  and  was  aided 
much  of  the  time  by  his  son.  Hart.  In  1853  Hart  engaged  with  a 
firm  in  the  photographic  line,  and  shortly  afterward  he  went  into  the 
same  business  for  himself  As  a  photographer  he  was  not  a  monetary 
success,  owing  to  the  fact  that  his  mind  was  all  on  music,  which  also 
occupied  his  leisure  time.  He  engaged  in  various  musical  pursuits  in 
Chicago,  appearing  as  bass  singer,  choir  leader,  conductor  of  musical 
.societies,  etc.  His  first  composition  was  a  simple  psalm  tune  called  Lake 
Street,  which  was  introduced  by  William  Bradbury  in  h.\s  Jubilee  collection. 
Mr.  Bradbury  thought  highly  of  the  composition. 

As  a  composer,  Mr.  Danks  is  in  great  measure  self-taught,  and  he 
read  and  studied  many  works  on  composition,  which  gave  him  an  insight 
into  theory  and  harmony,  counterpoint,  etc.  His  first  songs  were  pub- 
lished in  1856.  They  were  two  in  number,  Anna  Lee,  published  by 
Ditson  &  Co.,  and  T/ie  Old  Lane,  publi.shed  \>y  Higgins  Bros.,  of  Chicago. 
During  the  following  year  he  published  six  songs.  During  1858  he 
published  onlj-  one  song;  in  1859,  four;  in  i860,  thirteen;  in  1861,  si.x;  in 
1862,  five.  He  was  married  in  1857  to  Miss  Hattie  R.  Colahan,  of 
Cleveland,  O.  He  removed  to  New  York  in  1864,  and  has  resided  there 
ever  since.  In  1870  appeared  one  of  Mr.  Danks'  most  popular  ballads, 
Don't  be  Angry  7vith  Me,  Darliuir,  which  made  a  hit  and  was  sung 
everywhere.  In  1872  Mr.  Danks  published  no  fewer  than  forty  songs 
and  also  an  operetta  called  Pauline.  Among  his  productions  this  year 
was  Silver  Threads  among  the  Gold,  which,  it  is  said,  has  had  the  largest 
sale  of  any  copyrighted  song  ever  published  in  America.  This  caused 
his  name  to  be  known  to  English  publishers,  who  have  readily  accepted 
his  works  for  publication  ever  since.  In  1873  he  publi.shed  thirty-eight 
songs,  among  them  Not  Ashamed  of  Christ,  which  is  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular sacred  songs  ever  written  and  has  had  an  immense  sale.  Since  this 
period  Mr.  Danks  has  been  most  prolific  in  his  compositions,  in  one  year 
he  has  published  as  many  as  eightj'-eight  songs  in  sheet  music  form, 
while  the  total  number  of  his  works  runs  far  up  in  the  hundreds,  and  his 
compiled  song  books  for  churches  and  scoools  have  been  exceedingly 
numerous.  He  takes  greatest  pride  in  his  sacred  music,  and  it  is  that 
in  which  he  is  at  his  best.  His  choir  works  are  used  more  extensively  than 
those  of  any  other  author  in  America.  His  writings  for  church  .services  are 
strong  and  effective,  and  have  the  good  (juality  of.  being  ea.sj-  for  ordinary' 
voices  to  sing.  He  has  filled  the  following  choir  positions  as  solo  basso 
and  nnisical  director  in  New  York:  Zion  Protestant  Episcopal  church. 
Church  of   the   Incarnation,    St.   Stephen's   in    Brooklyn,    at    the   Holy 


r 


Trinity,  First  Baptist,  Lafayette  Avenue  Presl)yterian,  and  others  equally 
prominent.  He  has  been  well  known  also  as  a  concert  basso,  singing 
with  such  artists  as  Anna  Bishop,  Maria  Brainerd  and  others  of  equal 
note.  He  has  published  the  extraordinary  number  of  thirteen  hundred 
compositions. 

There  were  several  writers  of  popular  melodies  nearly  as  popular  as 
Foster,  yet  on  the  whole  there  was  no  one  worthy  of  being  placed  beside 
him. 

The  most  popular  writer  of  the  entire  list  is  Mr.  Will  S.  Hayes,  of 
Louisville,  Ky. 

Will  S.  Hayes. 

William  Shakespere  Haj-es  was  born  July  19,  1837,  at  Louisville,  Ky. 
He  began  his  career  as  a  song  writer  when  he  was  about  twenty  years 
old,  with  Evangeline,  which,  had  a  large  sale.  During  the  war  he  wrote 
upon  semi-patriotic  themes.  After  the  war  he  made  an  engagement  with 
the  publishing  hou.se  of  J.  L.  Peters,  in  pursuance  of  which  he  wrote 
something  like  three  hundred  songs.  Some  of  these  had  an  enormous 
sale.  Write  Me  a  Letter  from  Home  is  said  to  have  reached  350,000;  We 
Parted  by  the  River,  300,000;  and  many  others  nearly  as  many.  Music 
is  merely  an  amusement  for  Mr.  Hayes.  He  is  a  journalist,  connected 
with  the  staff  of  the  Louisville  Courier-Journal.  His  success  with  the 
masses  was  well  deser\-ed. 

Nor  were  instrumental  composers  slow  to  claim  their  share  01  the  new 
interest  in  music.  There  are  half  a  dozen  whose  compositions  have  sold 
by  the  hundred  thousand.  It  is  quite  true  that  musically  considered,  these 
pieces  are  \'ery  poor.  Like  the  popular  songs,  they  represent  the  average 
musical  consciousness,  but  upon  a  lower  plane  in  consequence  of  having 
no  poetrj'^  to  keep  them  in  check.  This  music  usually  consists  of  a  very 
simple  and  natural  melody,  set  to  the  most  elementary  harmonj-,  and 
brightened  up  with  a  few  stock  passages,  arpeggios  and  the  like,  simple 
and  easily  to  be  executed  by  players  of  small  attainment,  but  modeled 
upon  passages  in  pieces  by  first-class  writers.  Of  this  kind  may  be  men- 
tioned the  variation  pieces  of  A.  P.  Wyman,  Chas.  Grolie,  the  operatic 
arrangements  of  James  Bellak,  and  the  variations  of  Thos.  P.  Ryder, 
Chas.  D.  Blake  and  others.  All  of  these  men  made  money,  and  several 
of  them  received  large  sums  which  a  poetic  justice  would  rather 
have  seen  bestowed  upon  worthier  efforts.  Even  these  parasites  upon 
poetic  music  have  their  uses.  While  they  occasionally  take  up  space 
which  might  be  better  occupied,  they  do,  nevertheless,  afford  delight  to 
many  whose  interest  in  music  is  so  slight  that  nothing  less  easily  assimi- 


{  <r?cv/j3^L^o>  7^  y^^LcdJ^Xj 


103 


lated  would  stand  a  cliance  of  being  received.  Of  these  works  it  might 
be  said,  as  of  the  sacred  music  of  this  later  dispensation,  it  represents  the 
effort  of  composers  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  newer  and  more  democratic 
and  untrained  public,  opened  to  them  b\-  the  enormous  popularization  of 
musical  instruments  and  fondness  for  the  art,  consequent  upon  the  accu- 
mulation of  wealth  following  the  war.  The  older  music  of  little  difficulty 
was  mainly  of  French  origin,  in  the  style  of  Francois  Hunten.  In  this 
music  the  left  hand  had  very  little  to  do,  but  the  melodies  were  delicate 
and  refined,  and  although  simple  as  to  mechanical  demands  upon  the 
player,  it  had  a  certain  air  and  grace,  not  uncomely.  This  later  popular 
music  of  America  of  the  writers  now  under  consideration  has  no  grace, 
but  what  it  lacks  in  this  respect  it  makes  up  in  pretension.  Its  sole  aim 
is  to  sell,  and  to  delude  the  purchaser  into  the  idea  that  in  playing  it  he 
is  performing  something  worth  while.  Quite  different  in  moral  purpose, 
at  least,  are  the  productions  of  some  of  the  lady  composers,  one  of  the 
most  popular  of  whom  is  mentioned  next  on  the  list. 

CoNST.'VNCE  Faunt  le  Rov  Runxie. 

Although  Constance  Faunt  le  Roy  Runcie  is  talented  and  distinguished 
as  a  pianist,  it  is  as  a  composer  that  she  has  greatest  claim  to  a  position 
among  the  notables  who  have  done  service  to  musical  art  in  America. 
The  maiden  naiue  of  Mrs.  Runcie  was  Constance  Faunt  le  Roy.  She 
was  born  in  Indianapolis  in  1836.  Her  maternal  grandfather  was  the 
well  known  advocate  of  co-operative  associations,  Robert  Owen.  Her 
maternal  great-grandfather  was  David  Dale,  lord-provost  of  Glasgow 
Scotland.  Her  father,  Robert  Henrj^  Faunt  le  Roy,  v^as  of  the 
old  and  extensive  family  stock  of  Faunt  le  Roys,  of  eastern  Virginia, 
Her  mother  was  born  in  Scotland  and  educated  in  London,  where 
she  received,  in  addition  to  all  her  scientific  and  literar\'  attainments, 
a  thorough  training  on  piano  and  harp,  and  acquired  facility  in 
drawing  and  painting.  Her  father  died  while  attending  to  his  coast 
survey  duties,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  during  the  winter  of  1849. 
In  1852,  Mrs.  Faunt  le  Roy,  in  order  to  develop  still  further  the 
training  of  her  family,  by  giving  them  the  advantages  of  modem 
languages,  German  literature  and  art,  took  them  to  German}-"  and  remained 
there  almost  six  years.  Both  before  leaving  for  Germany  and  after  her 
return  to  New  Harmony,  Ind.,  Miss  Faunt  le  Roy's  environment  was 
highly  favorable:  that  town  being  winter  quarters  of  the  officers  connected 
with  the  several  geological  sur\'eys;  having  also  an  extensive  public 
library  and  occasional  lectures,  besides  being  the  residence  of  her  four 
uucles,  all  devoted  to  science  or  literature. 


M.    I..    BARTl.ETT. 


«"S 


A.    E.    WAKREN. 


While  in  Germany,  Mrs.  Runcie  had  the  best  musical  advantages 
ol)tainable,  and  she  developed  decided  talent  as  a  composer.  She  has 
written  for  orchestra,  and  has  composed  over  fiftj'  songs,  as  well  as  a 
concerto  for  violin,  a  symphony,  a  piano  sonata,  and  chamber  music.  It 
was  at  the  suggestion  of  Annie  Louise  Cary  that  Mrs.  Runcie  published 
her  first  songs.  Many  of  the  most  celebrated  American  artists  have 
highlj-  praised  Mrs.  Runcie' s  gifts  as  a  song  writer,  and  have  u.sed  her 
music  for  concert  purposes.  Among  her  songs  that  have  been  most 
successful  are:  Hear  Us,  O,  Hear  L's;  Round  the  Throne;  Silence  of  the 
Sea;  Merry  I.ife;  Tone  Poems;  Take  My  Soul,  O,  Lord;  I  Never  Told  Him; 
Dove  of  Peace;  I  Hold  My  Heart  so  Still;  My  Spirit  Rests,  and  many 
others.  Mrs.  Runcie  is  equally  talented  as  a  writer,  and  much  of  her 
poetrj^  is  of  a  very  high  order.  She  writes  the  lyrics  for  her  own  songs, 
which  are  exceptionally  good  in  sentiment  and  rhythmic  art.  March  9, 
1 86 1,  .she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Rev.  James  Runcie,  D.  D.,  a  most 
devout  Christian  minister,  whose  useful  labors  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church  at  Madison,  Ind.,  continued  from  1861  to  1871,  when  he  accepted 
a  call  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  where  the)'  have  resided  ever  since.  They  have 
a  familj-  of  two  daughters  and  two  sons. 

Chas.  D.  Blake. 
This  popular  composer  was  born  at  Walpole,  Mass.,  Sept.  13,  1847. 
His  early  musical  instruction  v.'as  obtained  under  the  care  of  Professor 
Paine,  of  Harvard,  and  Mr.  J.  C.  D.  Parker.  At  an  early  age  he  com- 
posed certain  piano  pieces,  which  being  published,  immediateh'  attracted 
attention.  The}'  were  followed  by  others  in  the  same  popular  vein,  with 
such  success  that  it  was  not  long  before  Mr.  Blake  made  a  contract  with 
the  music  publishing  house  of  White,  Smith  &  Co.  to  write  for  them 
exclusivel)-.  This  contract  remained  in  force  for  eighteen  years,  termi- 
nating in  1888,  since  which  Mr.  Blake  has  published  and  sold  his  own 
pieces.  His  success  in  retaining  his  popularitj^  for  so  long  a  time  unim- 
paired, indicates  the  possession  on  his  part  of  no  small  fertility  of  invention, 
as  well  as  tact  in  guiding  the  soarings  of  his  muse  according  to  the 
momentary  direction  of  the  popular  winds.  Many  of  Mr.  Blake's  pieces 
have  sold  enormously.  To  the  eye  of  a  musician  they  are  all  more  or  less 
open  to  criticism  ujion  the  ground  of  their  obvious  aim  at  pleasing  mainly 
the  uncultivated  taste.  But  whatever  the  reader  may  th^nk  upon  this 
point,  if  he  will  write  some  twelve  hundred  pieces  successively,  and 
please  the  public  in  all  of  them,  he  will  be  in  a  better  position  to  judge 
the  variety  of  qualities  entering  into  the  successful  performance  of  such  a 
task,  than  any  one  can  possibly  be  merely  by  cold-blooded  inspection. 

106 


Another  promising  and  talented  composer  is  included  here  on  account 
of  the  pleasing  character  of  his  compositions,  and  their  evident  liold 
upon  the  public,  although  they  are  perhaps  somewhat  more  pretentious 
from  a  technical  standpoint  than  those  of  the  composers  just  mentioned. 

Edmund  S.  Mattoon. 

Occupying  a  prominent  position  among  the  musicians  of  the  state  of 
Ohio  and  in  the  Ohio  Music  Teachers'  Association,  is  Mr.  Ednumd  S. 
Mattoon.  He  was  born  at  Columbus,  wiiere  lie  at  present  resides,  in 
1841.  His  mother  was  musically  inclined,  and  his  early  instruction  in 
the  art  was  derived  from  her.  When  he  was  twelve  or  fourteen  j-ears  old 
he  was  much  paraded  as  a  nuisical  prodigy,  and  while  upon  a  concert 
tour  in  the  towns  of  his  native  state  he  met  a  fine  vocalist,  Mrs.  Isabella 
Chapman,  who  became  greatly  interested  in  him  and  took  him  as  a  pro- 
tege. He  lived  with  the  Chapman  family  in  New  York  for  four  years 
and  studied  piano,  harmony  and  theory  with  WoUenhaupt,  then  a  distin- 
guished piani.st  and  composer 

Returning  home  from  New  York,  Mr.  Mattoon  at  once  devoted  him- 
self to  teaching,  being  occupied  in  that  capacity  in  the  Xenia  Female 
College,  next  in  the  Wesleyan  Univ'ersity  at  Delaware.  At  the  conclusion 
of  these  engagements  he  became  connected  with  the  Caroline  Richings 
English  Opera  Company  as  pianist  and  conductor,  and  traveled  with  them 
for  one  year.  After  several  years'  connection. with  traveling  concert  com- 
panies as  pianist  and  musical  director,  Mr.  Mattoon,  located  for  a  time  at 
Detroit,  Mich.,  where  he  lived  for  ten  or  tw^elve  years.  He  then  removed 
to  Columbus,  O. ,  where  he  .still  resides.  In  Detroit  and  at  Columbus 
he  has  been  active  and  efficient  in  directing  choral  societies.  He  is  al.so 
a  diligent  worker  and  an  active  spirit  in  the  Ohio  State  Music  Teachers' 
Association.  He  has  been  director  of  the  Detroit  Choral  Union,  the 
Detroit  Philharmonic  Society,  the  Columbus  Choral  Union  and  other 
societies,  doing  efficient  work  as  a  wielder  of  the  baton. 

As  a  composer,  Mr.  Mattoon  has  decided  talent.  His  Tarantella  for 
four  hands,  published  by  S.  Brainard's  Sons,  has  been  played  frequently 
in  concerts  in  New  York,  Boston  and  elsewhere  by  Mr.  William  Sherwood 
and  others.  It  is  a  brilliant  and  effii^ctive  composition.  Another  produc- 
tion is  a  scherzo,  entitled  Joyousncss.  Other  numbers  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  Mattoon,  issued  by  the  press  of  S.  Brainard's  Sons,  in  1889,  are 
The  Siq;h;  Morreau  Pocliqtie,  a  saltarello  and  a  valse  sentimental. 
The  compositions  which  Mr.  Mattoon  regards  as  among  his  best  arc 
FriihlinfrsUcd,  Op.  29,  played  by  Miss  Neally  Stevens;  Deuxihne 
Saltarello,  dedicated  to  Mme.    Rive-King;    Impromptu   Capriccioso,  dedi- 


cated  to  Arthur  Foote;  Wood- Nymph,  published  by  Arthur  P.  Schmidt; 
Dream  of  Hope,  published  by  Oliver  Ditsou,  Boston;  The  Caress,  valse 
sentimental,  published  Ijy  S.  Brainard's  Sons,  Chicago,  111.;  Rippling 
Waters,  morceau  etude. 

John  Eliot  Tkowbridgk 

Was  born  at  Newtop,  Mass.,  Oct.  20,  1845.  He  seems  to  have  had 
his  bent  in  life  determined  by  the  musical  tastes  of  ])Oth  father  and  mother, 
the  former  being  for  years  the  leader  of  the  choir  in  the  old  E  iot  church 
at  Newton.  There  were  three  sons,  all  of  whom  were  musically  inclined, 
but  it  was  reserved  for  John  to  make  that  his  profession.  His  first  master 
was  Prof.  B.  C.  Blodgett,  of '"Smith"  college,  Northampton,  Mass., 
under  whom  he  studied  the  organ  for  some  years.  Later,  he  was  under 
the  tutelage  of  Prof.  Junius  W.  Hill,  of  Wellesley  college,  Wellesley, 
Mass.,  who  taught  him  the  piano,  theory,  harmony  and  composition.  It 
was  not  until  he  was  twenty-seven  of  age  that  his  first  published  composition 
appeared.  For  twenty  years  past  he  has  been  church  organist  and  direc- 
tor of  choirs  in  Newton  and  Boston,  and  since  188 1  has  held  the  position 
of  organist  in  the  Congregational  church  at  West  Newton.  Mr.  Trow- 
bridge has  conducted  the  Choral  Union,  of  Newton,  for  the  last  five  years, 
and  under  his  guidance  thej*  have  done  some  ver\-  creditable  work.  The 
best  known  of  Mr.  Trowbridge's  pieces  is  the  oratorio  Emmanuel,  which 
was  produced  in  1887  in  Tremont  temple,-  Boston,  and  attracted  very  fav- 
orable notice.  Other  compositions  by  him  are  settings  of  the  3d,  23d  and 
95th  Psalms;  a  Te  Deiim,  "We  praise  thee,  O  God";  several  anthems, 
responses  and  mottettcs;  selections  and  exercises  for  the  Sunday  school; 
Lydia,  a  cantata,  for  Sunday  schools;  The  Santoral,  a  church  choir  book 
(in  connection  with  the  late  S.  H.  Palmer);  mass  in  E  major;  The  Heroes 
of  'j6,  a  secular  operatic  cantata;  instructor  for  the  reed  organ,  and  no 
select  pieces  for  church  or  cabinet  organ;  three  sacred  male  quartettes 
and  one  secular;  besides  a  number  of  hymn  tunes.  This  list  alone  indicates 
a  busy  life,  one  in  which  few  opportunities  have  been  lost,  few  spare  mo- 
ments left  unfilled. 

Alfred  E.  Warren. 

This  popular  composer  was  born  in  1834,  at  Edmonton,  now  a  suburb 
of  London,  Eng.,  where  his  father  was  a  prominent  piano  manufacturer. 
When  joung  Warren  was  about  eighteen  years  old  he  decided  to  adopt 
music  for  his  profession  in  life,  and  went  through  a  course  of  musical 
education  in  London.  Accepting  an  offer  to  go  out  to  Calcutta,  India, 
he  remained  there  for  several  years,  but  his  health  gave  way  and  he  was 

loS 


Thomas  P.  Ryder. 


109 


cx»nipclled  to  seek  another  climate.  He  came  to  America  in  1861,  made 
Boston  his  home,  and  has  remained  there  ever  since.  His  reputation  as 
composer,  pianist  and  teacher  stands  very  high.  It  was  in  1861  also  that 
his  first  published  composition,  Valse  dc  Faiorita,  appeared.  The  Injtian 
Line  March,  dedicated  to  William  Inman,  was  composed  for  the  world's 
peace  jubilee  of  1872,  and  was  performed  at  every  concert  given  through- 
out the  jubilee.  The  Strauss  Autoi^raph  ]l^a/t~cs  also  gained  much 
popularity,  and  were  believed  for  some  time  to  be  by  Strauss  himself;  in 
fact,  they  were  republished  in  England  under  Johann  Strauss'  name. 

In  addition  to  the  above  Mr.  Warren  is  the  composer  of  the  following 
marches:  Army  and  Navy,  which  was  written  for  the  dedication  of  the 
monument  on  Boston  Common,  Afatch  de  SyrioJis  Spirit  of  the  Age ;  No 
Surrender ;  In  the  Ranks,  and  Major  McLean' s  Grand  March;  Strauss 
Etigagement  Waltzes;  Thoughts  0/ Love,  mazurlfa;  Rays  0/ Hope,  mazurka; 
Heart's  Delight,  gavotte;  Peep  0'  Day,  polka;  and  these  songs:  Silent 
Evermore  ;  Life  0/ a  Sailor  Free  ;  The  Fisherman' s  Wife;  Under  the  Leaves 
that  Fall ;  Good-by  Afy  Dearest,  Good-by  ;  Sleep  On;  Sad  Tears  are  Falling  ; 
Farewell ;  Skylark  Greeting  ;  Song  of  the  Angel;  The  Bridge  {Xxzuscn-pi), 
and  Rocked  in  the  Cradle  of  the  Deep  (transcript). 

Thomas  Philander  Ryder, 

Composer  and  organist,  was  bom  at  Cohasset,  Mass.,  June  29,  1836.  He 
seems  to  have  evinced  a  liking  for  music  at  a  very  early  age,  but  it  was 
non  until  he  was  fourteen  jears  old  that  he  learned  to  play  the  piano.  A 
friend  then  gave  him  some  instructions  and  he  proved  to  be  an  apt  pupil. 
The  death  of  his  father  rendered  him  dependent  upon  his  own  exertions 
for  support,  but  he  never  gave  up  his  study  of  music.  When  he  was 
nineteen  he  took  some  lessons  of  Gustav  Satter,  and  also  began  to  study 
the  organ  and  harmony.  His  first  engagement  as  an  organist  was  at 
Nyannis,  Mass.,  after  which  he  held  several  positions  at  different  places. 
He  is  now  organist  at  the  Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  a  post  which  he  lias 
held  for  ten  years.  He  is  still  living  in  Boston,  and  can  count  many  leading 
musicians  among  his  pupils.  As  an  accompanist  he  has  wonderful  skill; 
as  a  choral  director  he  has  also  been  very  successful,  and  has  filled  several 
prominent  positions.  The  majority  of  his  compositions  are  for  the  piano. 
Among  them  may  be  mentioned  the  Chanson  des  Alpcs,  published  in  1880 
b>-  White,  Smith  &  Co. ;  Old  Oaken  Bucket;  Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee,  with 
variations;  A  Dainty  Morsel;  Lida;  Rustic  Maiden;  Sounds  from  the  Glen, 
etc.  These  works  have  sold  to  the  extent  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
cojiics,  and  as  the  lucky  composer  is  shown  in  this  fact  to  have  pleased 
many  people,  they  in  return  have  united  in  pleasing  him. 


Maro  L.  Barti.ktt,  Ml's.  Doc, 

Was  born  at  Brownhelm,  O.,  Oct.  25,  1847.  He  was  brought  i.  11  a 
farm  and  received  his  first  musical  instruction  at  the  country  singnig 
school.  He  displayed  some  aptitude  and  was  sent  to  the  01)crliii  Cu.i- 
serv'atory  of  Music,  where  he  studied  for  some  years.  He  removed  f  o:n 
there  to  Meadville,  Pa.,  where  he  became  conductor  of  the  Philliarnionic 
Society,  which  l)rought  out  nearly  all  the  standard  oratorios.  Mr.  Hart.ett 
was  next  called  to  take  charge  of  the  music  in  the  schools  of  Orange, 
N.  J.,  and  was  appointed  director  of  the  Newark,  N.  J.,  Harrao  lic 
Society.  He  then  went  to  New  York,  where  he  taught  in  the  schools, 
and  also  became  prominent  as  a  ba.ss  soloist,  appearing  in  oratorios  and 
other  concerts  in  different  cities.  In  1880  he  caipe  to  Chicago  as  con- 
ductor of  the  Mozart  Club,  director  of  music  in  the  First  Congregational 
church,  and  director  of  the  vocal  department  of  the  Chicago  Musical 
College.  From  that  city  he  went  to  Des  Moines,  and  is  at  present  director 
of  the  Des  Moines  Musical  College.  In  1889  Drake  University,  of  Des 
Moines,  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music.  He  was 
the  senior  editor  of  Sacred  Gems,  an  American  anthem  book,  and  of 
Cro7i'7iins:  Victor,  song  circle,  and  author  of  Class  and  Chorus,  for  schools 
and  colleges;  also  of  ser\'ices  for  the  Episcopal  church. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
Piano  Playing  and  Pianists. 

^LL  things  considered,  the  great  pianists  must  be  accorded  the 
credit  of  having  been  the  most  useful  and  successful  educators  of 
,S3"^  American  musical  taste.  They  alone  of  great  artists  have  been 
able  to  appeal  to  audiences  largely  leavened  with  hearers  practically 
versed  in  the  lower  and  intermediate  grades  of  their  own  art.  The 
popularization  of  the  pianoforte,  and  the  general  attention  bestowed 
upon  musical  education  bj-  means  of  this  instrument,  has  had  the  effect  of 
filling  the  country  with  pianists,  many  of  them  of  considerable  ability. 
Within  the  memorj'  of  the  generation  now  living,  the  standard  of  average 
execution  upon  this  instrument  has  been  elevated  from  the  childish  tasks 
of  teachers  in  New  England  fifty  years  ago  to  a  practical  familiarit}-  with 
the  best  selections  of  the  classical  and  concert  schools  of  pianoforte  litera- 
ture. Concert  pieces  of  the  virtuosi  of  a  former  generation  are  now  played, 
easily  and  effectively,  by  girls  still  in  boarding  schools.  Moreover,  the 
pianist  possesses  an  advantage  not  shared  by  other  instrumentalists. 
Although  his  own  instrument,  indeed,  is  weighty  and  difficult  to  trans- 
port, the  railroads  and  piano  makers  take  care  of  this  circumstance  for  him. 
When  upon  a  tour  he  gives  himself  no  care  upon  the  subject,  but  confi- 
dently expects  his  instrument  to  appear  upon  the  platform  night  after 
night,  in  towns  hundreds  of  miles  apart.  When  once  there,  he  has  a  full 
orchestra,  or  at  least  he  has  an  instrument  capable  of  fully  representing 
both  the  melody  and  the  harmony  of  music,  in  tone  color  to  which  all  the 
hearers  are  accustomed,  while  his  accomplishments  of  digital  dexterity 
are  immediately  appreciated  by  hearers  who  have  tried  more  or  less  to  do 
the  same  things  themselves.  Moreover,  the  literature  of  his  instrument 
possesses  some  of  the  most  important  chapters  in  the  whole  range  of  tone 
poetr>',  varying  in  spirit  and  style  from  the  simplest  and  tenderest  of  folks 
melodies  to  the  most  elevated  seriousness  of  a  Beethoven.  To  the  credit 
of  the  pianists,  it  is  to  be  said,  that  the  representative  ones  in  recent  times 


have  successfully  resisted  the  tendency  of  the  merely  popular  taste. 
Singers  go  on  repeating  a  few  familiar  roles  year  after  year,  and  sometimes 
complete  long  careers  without  once  essaying  the  highest  tasks  in  their  art; 
but  the  pianist  boldly  brings  forward  the  greatest  and  most  celebrated 
numbers,  those  which  have  cost  him  the  most  arduous  preparation,  and 
whose  performance  signifies  to  him  much  expenditure  of  nerve  force  and 
musical  concentration.  Thus  it  happens  that  more  has  been  done  toward 
cultivating  a  first-class  taste  in  this  department  than  in  any  other. 

The  earlier  pianists  who  visited  America  were  .somewhat  eccentric, 
and  none  of  them  was  notable  upon  purely  technical  grounds,  according 
to  present  standards,  until  Thalberg  came  in  1855.  It  .seems  odd  now  to 
think  of  Maurice  Strakosch  as  a  pianist,  yet  such  he  was  .styled  until  his 
success  as  a  manager  led  him  to  give  up  playing  in  public.  Leopold  De 
Meyer,  also,  was  an  artist  of  considerable  finger  dexterity,  but  of  little  or 
no  seriousness  of  artistic  purpose.  It  was  not  until  Thalberg  came  here 
in  1S55  that  we  had  an  example  of  the  highest  art  in  finished  pianism  at 
that  time  reached  in  the  world.  Thalberg's  playing  was  of  the  most 
remarkable  description.  As  finished  finger  work,  nothing  smoother  or 
more  delicately  graduated  in  tone  color  and  power  could  have  been  desired. 
He  was  also  an  artist  of  exquisite  taste,  and  he  had  made  long  studies  in 
singing  with  a  master  no  less  eminent  than  the  great  Garcia.  The  art  of 
carrying  a  melody  in  the  middle  range  of  the  instrument  by  the  use  of  the 
thumbs  of  the  hands  alternately,  was  the  great  Thalbergian  specialty,  which 
in  turn  depended  upon  certain  imi)rovements  in  the  damper  and  hammer 
mechanism,  l)rought  to  success  between  18 17  and  1830.  In  the  middle 
range  of  pitch,  that  of  the  baritone,  tenor  and  mezzo  soprano  voice,  the 
ijistriunent  has  its  most  successful  .sonority  and  singing  power.  Thalberg 
accomplished  the  mastery  of  touch,  and  formed  his  conception  of  melodic 
delivery  so  artistically  that  his  melodies  thus  delivered  by  the  thumbs 
alternately  or  co-operatively,  were  shaded  and  expressed  as  carefully  as  a 
superior  singer  would  have  deli\ered  them.  Across  the  melody,  thus 
peacefully  singing,  rapid  and  delicate  runs,  of  everj-  sort,  were  carried 
from  one  end  of  the  keyboard  to  the  other,  passing  from  one  hand  to  the 
other  by  imperceptible  substitutiotis.  The  artist  made  no  display  of  effort 
in  doing  this.  His  demeanor  was  placid,  reposeful  and  well  bred.  The 
Thalbergian  trick  has  been  imitated  since  in  every  possible  gradation  of 
difficulty,  until  it  has  been  rendered  hackneyed.  But  when  still  novel, 
his  art  threw  new  light  upon  the  possibilities  of  an  instnnnent  whose  real 
powers  were  then  unknown  in  America.  It  was  perhaps  an  additional 
element  of  his  u.sefulncss  that  the  melodies  of  his  pieces  belonged  almost 
exclusively  to  the  lighter  and  more  pleasing  school  of  Italian  opera.     A 


few  Irish  and  Scotch  songs  and  the  national  Home,  Sweet  Home,  he  ar- 
ranged expressly  for  his  American  concerts.  All  the  remainder  of  his 
rc])ertoire  was  the  same  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to  use  in  the  artistic 
centers  of  the  old  world. 

Immediately  after  Thalberg,  the  great  American  genius,  Gottschalk, 
made  his  concert  tours,  and  while  he  played  few  or  no  selections  so  difficult 
from  a  technical  point  of  view  as  those  of  Thalljerg,  his  own  original 
pieces  had  in  them  such  vigor  of  rhythm,  such  bright  melodies,  and 
the  touch  of  the  pianist  was  so  clear,  ringing,  delicate  and  sharply 
defined,  as  to  enable  him  to  seize  the  attention  of  the  hearer  and  hold  it 
without  difficulty  to  the  end.  Much  might  be  written  concerning  the 
concert  history  of  this  great  master  if  space  served,  and  if  the  main 
circumstances  of  his  career  had  not  already  been  so  well  covered  in  another 
chapter.  But  as  yet  there  was  nothing  like  an  education  in  piano  litera- 
ture. Gottschalk  played  his  own  compositions  almost  exclusively,  as 
Thalberg  and  all  the  others  had  done  in  their  concerts.  This  afforded 
each  artist  an  apparent  individualitj-,  since  the  ' '  build  ' '  of  the  passages  and 
the  general  treatment  of  the  pieces  was  always  such  as  happened  to 
fit  the  individualities  of  the  player's  hand  —  nearly  or  quite  all  pieces  of 
this  school  being  worked  out  at  the  keyboard. 

William  Mason  was  the  first  pianist  to  give  recitals  composed  exclu- 
sively of  piano  playing,  with  programmes  definitely  arranged  for  covering 
some  particular  part  of  musical  literature.  His  actual  work  in  the  concert 
room  lasted  but  for  a  brief  time;  but  the  example  had  been  set,  and 
the  tradition  of  his  tour  la.sted  for  a  long  time.  Rubinstein  was  the  pianist 
who  next  advanced  the  standard  of  piano  playing  in  America.  This  great 
artist  visited  every  important  city  in  the  countrj'  in  the  season  of  1872-73, 
and  played  piano  recitals  composed  of  the  most  e.\;acting  selections  from 
all  schools,  not  excepting  those  great  representative  masters  who  stand 
nearer  the  heart  of  music  than  anj'  others  —  Bach,  Beethoven  and  Schu- 
mann. Rubinstein's  personality-  was  so  vigorous,  his  mastery-  of  the 
keyboard  in  every  way  so  commanding,  and  his  absorption  of  the  text  of 
these  recondite  works  so  thorough,  as  seen  in  his  uniform  habit  of  playing 
from  memorj',  that  no  one  felt  any  difficulty  in  becoming  interested  in  his 
playing  and  the  works  which  he  brought  forward.  He  advanced  the 
popular  conception  of  piano  technique  from  that  of  an  ability  to  do  a  few 
.strange  or  startling  things  upon  the  keyboard,  to  that  of  a  complete 
finger  training,  affi)rding  ever>'  needed  quality  of  shading  for  the  best 
works  of  the  very  greatest  tone  poets  of  the  instrument.  This  catholicity 
of  taste  of  Rul)instein  set  up  a  new  standard,  as  also  did  his  powerful 
volume  of  tone. 


Immediatel}'  afterward  Hans  von  Biilow  came  o\er  and  repeated 
throughout  the  country  similar  programmes  to  those  which  Rubinstein 
had  given.  It  was  not  in  Bulow's  art  to  awaken  so  great  enthusiasm  as 
Rubinstein,  but  his  work  was  of  great  value,  especially  in  the  emphasis 
it  put  upon  absolute  correctness  and  personal  self-abtiegation  in  the  work 
of  the  cdmposer  represented.  The  American  standard  henceforth  formed 
itself  a  sort  of  resultant  of  the  work  of  these  two  great  masters.  A 
distinct  advance  in  the  popular  apprehension  of  the  art  of  piano  playing 
was  assisted  by  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas,  who  in  his  concert  tours  of  1870-74 
carried  with  him  pianists,  introducing  three  ladies,  each  of  a  high 
order  of  accomplishment.  The  works  they  principally  played  were 
concertos  with  orchestral  accompaniment,  and  these  tours  had  no  small 
influence  in  illustrating  the  powers  of  the  instrument  in  connection  with 
orchestra.  The  ladies,  whose  names  are  not  to  be  forgotten  in  this  con- 
nection, were  Anna  Mehlig,  a  graduate  of  the  Stuttgard  Conservatory, 
Alide  Topp  and  Marie  Krebs. 

But  the  most  elegant  and  pleasing  of  all  the  lady  players  of  that 
period  was  the  fascinating  artist  Mme.  Kssipoff,  who  played  in  all  the 
principal  cities  of  the  country  in  the  season  of  1876-77.  In  arrang- 
ing her  programmes,  Mme.  Essipoff  kept  up  the  tradition  of  many-sided 
musical  literature,  as  set  by  her  great  male  predecessors,  and  added  to  the 
elements  of  manly  power  and  mastery  represented  in  their  inteqiretations, 
a  womanly  grace  and  refinement  peculiarly  her  own. 

Since  1876  there  have  been  five  artists  mainly  instrumental  in  carry- 
ing forward  this  work  of  piano  playing  in  the  country  at  large.  They  are 
Mme.  Rive-King,  Mme.  Carreno,  and  Messrs.  Wm.  H.  Sherwood,  Dr. 
Louis  Maas  and  Rafael  JosefFj'.  Many  others  have  done  admirable  work 
locally,  such  as  Perabo,  IVtersilea  and  Baermaini  in  Boston;  Mills,  Hoff- 
man and  others  in  New  York;  Doemer  and  Miss  Gaul  in  Cincinnati,  and 
Carl  Wolfsohn  and  Liebling  in  Chicago.  But  only  the  names  first  men- 
tioned have  betn  operative  throughout  the  country  at  large  in  the  direct- 
tion  of  programmes  composed  upon  the  principle  of  illustrating  musical 
literature,  and  carried  out  with  real  ma.ster>-  of  technique  and  by  impress- 
ive personality.  Nothing  shows  the  essential  harmony  of  the  work  of 
these  artists  like  a  comparison  of  progranunes.  None  of  Rubinstein's  is 
at  hand.  It  is  remembered  of  him  that  he  played  at  a  single  sitting  in 
New  York  the  last  five  sonatas  of  Beethoven.  \'on  Bulow  played  at 
McComiick  hall  in  Chicago,  Feb.  2,  1S76,  the  following  programme: 

Mootilif;ht  sonata.     Op.  27,  No.  '2 Beethoven. 

Spinning  Sonj,j  from  "Flying  Dutchman"  and  March  from 

"Tannhauscr" (Arranged  by  Lisztt \\'af;ner. 


Vocal Mozart  and  Gordigiani. 

Cliaconne Hiitidel. 

Saral)ande  and  I'assepied Bach. 

Gavotte  from  "  Dou  Juan" Gluck. 

Minuet  and  Gigue Mozart. 

Impromptu,  Op.  90,  No.  2 Schubert. 

Ave  Maria  and  Valse  Caprice Schubert-Listt. 

Two  Songs Beethoven. 

The  Lake,  At  the  Brook,  Hungarian  Rhapsody Liszt. 

The  programme  of  a  recital  by  Julia  Rive,  plaved  at  Indianapolis, 
Nov.  25,  1875,  was  the  following: 

Sonata,  Op.  Ill Beethoven. 

Etudes  Symphoniques Schumann. 

Rondo  Capriccioso Mendelssohn. 

Sonata,  Op.  120 Schubert. 

Rondeau  in  E  flat  major Chopin. 

Allegretto  from  Beethoven's  8th  Symphonj* /.iszt. 

Grand  Wal  1  z  de  Concert ^aj/". 

The  following  programme  was  played  by  Miss  Rive  before  the 
Hershe}'  vSchool  of  Music,  in  Chicago,  on  March  27,  1875.  It  shows 
better  contrasts  and  relief  than  the  Indianapolis  programme,  owing  to 
the  light  pieces  intervening  between  the  heavier  ones. 

Sonata  Appassion ata Beethoven. 

Rondo  Capriccioso Mendelssohn. 

Rondo  in  E  flat.  Op.  18 I  ^,    .  • 

Ballade  in  A  flat....  /  ^'"^'"- 

Perpetual  Motion Weber. 

-Eolian  Murmurs Goltschalk. 

Tarantelle  in  G  flat  minor Gustave  .Schumann. 

Faust  Waltz Gounod-Liszt. 

Waltz,  from  Romeo  and  Juliette Gounod-Raff. 

Polonaise  in  E \  i     „, 

Rhapsodic  Hongroise,  No.  12 ' 

At  Weber  hall,  Chicago.  Mme.  Carreno  played  the  following  pro- 
gramme: 

Son  ata  A  ppassion  ata Beethoven. 

Prelude  in  I)  flat -w 

Polonaise  in  C  sharp  minor V  Chopin. 

Tarantelle J 

Songs (Mr.  Knorr) .Jensen  and  Raf. 

Suite  Moderne (First  time  in  America) MacDorcell. 

Impronijitu Schubert. 

Zur  Guitarrc /filler. 

Soirt'c  do  \'iennc Schubcrt-L iszt. 


Two  Songs (.Mr.  Knorr) Rubinstein. 

Prelu'le  and  Fugue MnuMssofni. 

Des  Abetuls St /in  ma  int. 

Minuet Boccherini-Dulikcn. 

Ktude  in  C A'nbins(rin. 

The  following  programme  Mr.  Sher\vood  played  at  Evanston,  111.,  in 
August,  uSSo. 

Concerto  in  E  flat (Acconipt.  of  secoml  piano i Heethovcn. 

Fantasia  in  C  minor Haili. 

Ciigne  in  C  major Hfozarl. 

Sonata,  Prestissimo Scarlatti. 

Ma/nrka,  F' sharp \ 

Nocturne  in  G [•  Chopin. 

Schcr/o  in  C  sharp  minor ' 

Rarcarole k'nl/ak. 

Wedding  Procession (hici;. 

Saint-Sacrs,  Chorus  of  Dervishes liecthoven. 

Lohengrin's  Vcrweis  an  Elsa \  Wagnci-Liszt. 

Isolde's  Liebestod ' 

Waltz,  from  Gounod's  "  Faust  " Liszt. 

Programmes  like  these  would  attract  attention  in  any  part  of  the 
world,  and  it  must  he  counted  a  strong  point  of  compliment  to  American 
audiences  that  their  appetite  for  music  should  be  found  sufficient  to  take 
them  through  successio:is  of  pieces  so  exacting  to  hear  properly.  As  to 
the  quality  of  the  playing,  all  that  needs  be  said  is  that  these  players  tuii- 
fonnly  dispensed  with  notes,  and  were  able  to  render  their  enormous  pro- 
grammes in  a  manner  to  sieze  the  attention  of  the  hearers  and  retain  it  to 
the  end.  No  greater  compliment  could  be  paid  the  plaj-er.  Mention  has 
also  been  made  of  unusual  pianistical  attainments  of  young  American  girls, 
a  striking  example  of  which  is  furnished  in  a  recital  of  Liszt  works  played 
at  Chickering  hall,  in  Chicago,  Jan.  28,  1883.  The  selections  were  ar- 
ranged in  three  numbers,  with  the  design  apparently,  of  illustrating  the 
remarkable  endurance  of  the  young  player,  and  her  powers  of  memory 
and  musical  feeling.     The  first  number  contained  four  concert  pieces: 

Polonaise  Hcroiquc  in  E,  La  CawpancUa,  Spiiincrlicd  from  F/vhiq; 
Dutchman,  and  march  from  Tannhciiiscr.  The  second  utimber  also  had 
four  pieces:  Schubert's  Wanderer,  Erl  Kiiifr^  Waldesrauchcn  2Xi^  \\\t\\\t?> 
from  Faust.  The  third  number  consisted  of  the  concerto  in  E  flat  with 
accompaniment  of  second  piano.  The  pianist  of  the  evening,  Miss  Lydia 
S.  Harris,  was  about  twenty-two  years  of  age.  As  an  illustration  of 
physical  endurance  and  boldness,  this  progranune  is  a  curiosity.  It  de- 
ser\-es  to  be  added,  in  order  to  complete  the  record,  that  among  those  who 
praised  the  playing  was  that  excellent  master,  Mr.  Emil  Liebling,  who 


wrote  handsonieh-  concerning  it  in  the  New  York  Musical  Critic,  of  which 
he  was  at  that  time  correspondent.  The  same  pianist  repeated  upon 
several  occasions  a  programme  consisting  of  four  works  only:  Bach, 
Chromatic  Fantasia  and  Fugue :  Beethoven,  Sonata  in  C minor,  Op.  iii; 
Schumann,  Ftudcs  Syntplioniqucs,  Op.  13;  Chopin,  Polojiaise  in  A  flat, 
Op.  53 — a  still  further  illustration  of  the  American  penchant  for  magni- 
tude and  merit.  This  is  but  one  of  many  similar  cases  of  the  astonishing 
facility  of  American  girls  in  the  art  of  playing  the  piano. 

Taking  up  in  order  the  list  of  pianists  of  national  fame,  given  above, 
we  begin  with  the  name  of  Mme.  Carreiio. 

Teresa  Carrexo. 

There  are  few  names  better  or  more  favorably  known  among  the  dis- 
tinguished virtuosi  of  America  than  that  of  Teresa  Carreiio,  who  has  the 
distinction  not  only  of  being  an  ornament  to  the  musical  profession  of 
America,  but  the  bright  particular  star  which  in  our  musical  sky  repre- 
sents the  southern  continent.  She  was  born  at  Caracas,  Venezuela,  in 
December,  1853,  her  father,  who  was  an  accomplished  amateur  musician 
and  at  one  time  a  minister  of  state,  being  her  earliest  instructor.  Her 
musical  education  began  at  the  age  of  six  years,  when,  as  she  relates:  "  I 
practiced  two  hours  in  the  morning  and  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  rest 
of  the  day  I  played  with  my  doll."  Her  daily  practice  was  continued 
from  the  age  of  six  to  eight,  under  the  instruction  of  her  father,  from  whom 
she  received  her  earliest  lessons.  She  made  such  progress  that  at  the  age 
of  seven  she  had  mastered  Thalberg's  Norma  fantasia.  She  was  then 
placed  under  charge  of  Julius  Hoheni,  a  German  professor,  and  in  1862, 
being  then  but  nine  years  of  age,  she  appeared  in  New  York,  where  she 
had  an  interview  with  Gottschalk,  with  whom  she  played  on  the  piano  a 
four-hand  piece.  Under  the  instruction  of  this  master  she  soon  learned  to 
play  his  Ba)ianicr  and  Jerusalem  without  notes,  and  is,  perhaps,  the  only 
person  who  plays  Jerusalem,  one  of  that  author's  most  difficult  composi- 
tions, full  of  tremendous  chords  and  chromatic  octave  passages.  This 
intricate  morceau  dc  concert  the  young  Teresa  mastered  in  two  da^'s.  She 
played  in  public  in  her  native  city,  and  the  people  were  in  rapture  over  her 
accomplishments.  In  1862  she  came  north,  and  many  of  our  readers  may 
possibly  recall  the  little  girl  with  the  white  frock  and  the  red  sash,  who, 
after  climbing  upon  the  piano  stool,  with  difficultymastered  the  intricacies 
of  Thalberg  and  Gottschalk,  and  rou.sed  them  to  enthusiasm.  In  1863 
she  played  in  her  concerts  some  of  her  own  compositions,  and  that  austere 
critic,  Dwight,  remarked:  "  What  we  liked  best  in  little  Miss  Teresa's 
concert  was  her  own  two  fresh  little  compositions."     She  continued  study 


I 


untler  her  father,  and  had  occasional  lessons  fro:n  Gottschalk,  and  in  the 
season  of  1865-66  went  to  Europe.  Of  the  impression  she  left  there  we 
can  give  no  better  idea  than  to  quote  an  incident.  The  celebrated 
Camillc  Stamaty,  who  had  bc^n  the  tutor  of  Gottschalk,  was  much  inter- 
ested in  the  Tercsila,  as  she  was  known.  On  a  morning  succeeding  one 
of  her  concerts,  which  he  had  been  unable  to  attend,  he  asked  an 
American  pupil  what  "la  petite  "  had  played.  He  was  told  Liszt's  fantasie 
upon  Lit a'a.  Stamaty  .shook  his  head  decidedly.  "You  need  not  tell 
me,"  said  he,  "that  there  is  any  woman  living,  much  less  a  girl  of  thir- 
teen, who  can  play  that  diablc  of  a  fantasie."  Being  convinced  by  hear- 
ing her  play  it  in  private,  he  remarked:  "  Well,  no  one  but  an  American 
girl  could  have  done  it!  " 

The  career  of  this  splendid  woman  is  fuller  of  interesting  incidents 
than  perhaps  that  of  any  other  artist  of  recent  times.  Upon  her  return 
to  America  after  the  European  successes  already  mentioned  she  had  several 
j-ears  of  concert  experiences,  not  altogether  satisfactory,  financially  or 
artistically.  As  yet  she  was  following  the  traditions  of  the  Goltshalk 
regime,  not  realizing  how  far  public  taste  had  advanced  since  his  time. 
Presently,  however,  she  made  an  arrangement  with  the  hou.se  of  Albert 
Weber  to  play  so  many  concerts  per  year,  wherever  desired,  for  a  lump 
sum  and  expenses.  She  was  thus  relieved  from  pecuniary  anxiety,  and 
although  her  tours  were  often  inconveniently  planned  for  traveling,  she  had 
considerable  time  in  a  year  for  study,  while  the  incidents  of  business 
afforded  her  the  constant  education  of  meeting  prominent  musical  people 
in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Soon  her  ambition  was  excited,  and  she 
set  herself  to  carrj'  out  the  high  ideals  of  popular  piano  plaj  ing  already 
defined  in  the  work  of  her  predecessors.  In  doing  this  she  brought  to  the 
task  an  amplitude  of  ability  not  inferior  to  that  of  any  of  them,  and  in 
many  of  her  concerts  her  playing  arose  to  a  great  height  of  virtuosity  and 
rare  artistic  quality  combined. 

One  or  two  of  the  episodes  in  the  life  of  this  artist  are  worth  remem- 
bering. At  her  first  appearance  she  was  a  singularly  beautiful  and 
fascinating  woman.  When  .still  a  mere  girl  of  fifteen,  her  figure  had  the 
maturity  of  twenty,  and  her  intellect  and  womanly  intuitions  were  fully 
developed.  In  England  she  had  a  great  success  before  she  reached  London, 
but  the  idea  of  facing  the  public  of  that  great  city  rather  dismayed  her. 
She  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mapleson  and  the  great  singer  Mme. 
Tietjens  in  several  places  where  the  opera  happened  to  coincide  with  her 
concerts.  Afier  the  completion  of  her  concerts  in  Edinburgh,  London 
being  her  next  objective  point,  she  was  nnich  with  Mme.  Tietjens,  the 
opera  being  there.     Mapleson  found  himself  in  a  dilemma  for  a  queen  in 


The  Huguenots.  The  house  had  been  sold  out  for  the  (jueeiis  birthday, 
but  the  lady  who  was  to  sing  the  rule  of  "  Marguerite  of  Valois,"  fell 
sick,  and  could  not  possibly  appear.  Mapleson  telegraphed  all  over 
Europe,  but  no  soprano  able  to  take  the  role  could  be  found  near  enough 
to  reach  Edinburgh  in  time  for  the  performance.  On  Thursday  Mapleson 
said:  "Teresa,  I  have  an  idea.  You  shall  sing  the  'Queen.'  '  "But 
I  have  never  been  on  the  .stage,"  said  Carreno.  "  It  makes  no  difference," 
said  Mapleson.  "You  have  voice,  presence  and  beauty.  You  would 
make  a  lovely  '  Queen.' "  "  Hut  I  do  not  know  the  music,"  objected  the 
young  artist.  "  You  have  four  days,"  .said  Mapleson,  "  it  is  time  enough 
for  you."  After  a  minute's  reflection,  Carreiio  replied,  "  I  will  do  it  upon 
certain  conditions."  "Name  them."  .said  Mapleson.  "  You  shall  give 
me  the  singers  I  want  for  my  London  concerts."  "Done!"  said  the 
impresario.  Accordingly  a  contract  was  duly  drawn  giving  Carreno  for 
her  London  concerts  all  the  best  singers  then  in  England,  thus  assuring 
her  success  there.  But  for  fear  of  failure  as  a  singer  she  appeared  under 
a  stage  name.  She  made  a  great  success,  and  was  sorry  enough  she  had 
not  added  this  feather  to  her  own  proper  cap.  Her  voice  had  large  com- 
pass, and  had  been  carefully  cultivated. 

In  1885  ^*id  1886,  Mme.  Carreno  made  tours  of  her  native  countr}', 
Yenezuela,  under  circumstances  of  peculiar  romance.  She  is  a  grand 
niece  of  the  lilierator  of  South  America,  Bolivar,  and  about  ten  years  ago 
the  gov^nunent  sent  the  national  hymn  to  her  to  set  to  music,  which  she 
did,  her  composition  now  being  the  national  hynni  of  Venezuela.  The 
year  of  her  tour  was  about  that  of  the  Bolivar  centennial,  and  .she  was 
the  recipient  of  one  long  ovation  from  first  landing  in  the  country  until 
she  left  it.  For  nine  months  she  and  her  husband  were  guests  of  the 
state.  They  were  met  at  railwaj-  stations  with  brass  bands,  the  militarj-, 
civic  and  municipal  officers,  the  freedom  of  the  city  in  a  gold-lined  box, 
and  their  time  was  filled  up  with  serenades  at  hotels,  grand  civic  banquets 
and  all  that  sort  of  thing,  until  they  were  nearly  killed  with  kindness. 
Tickets  to  their  concerts  were  sold  out  at  high  prices  far  in  advance,  and 
taking  it  all  around  it  v.as  an  experience  which  rarely  befalls  an  artist.  The 
following  year  they  went  back  in  order  to  carry  on  a  sea.son  of  Italian 
opera.  This  time  they  were  less  fortunate.  An  impending  revolution 
brought  the  opera  sea.son  to  financial  di.saster.  .swallowing  up  not  only  the 
governmental  subvention,  but  also  their  .savings  from  the  previous  sea.son. 
Once,  indeed,  they  narrowly  escaped  being  blown  up  by  a  mine  placed 
under  the  opera  house  for  the  benefit  of  the  president  and  cabinet 

During  this  sea.son  the  successive  discharge  of  the  conductor  and 
assistant  conductor  left  the  company  upon  the  point  of  going  to  pieces. 


As  no  conductor  could  be  obtained  in  the  countrj",  Mme.  Carreno  herself 
took  the  conductor's  baton  and  carried  the  season  through  for  more  than 
two  weeks.  This  is  perhaps  the  only  case  upon  record  where  a  woman 
has  filled  the  conductor's  chair  in  Italian  opera. 

In  1889  Mme.  Carreno  again  visited  Europe,  playing  in  many  of  the 
principal  cities,  but  it  is  still  too  soon  to  give  particulars  of  her  career 
there.  It  deserves  to  be  said  of  her  that  she  is  one  of  the  best  lady 
pianists  now  upon  the  stage,  and  more  richly  gifted  in  her  general  musical 
nature  than  perhaps  any  other  woman  !iow  in  music.  In  person  she  is 
attractive,  quiet  and  genial,  full  of  good  humor  and  of  a  happy  disposition; 
instead  of  being  unduly  exalted  by  her  numerous  triumphs  and  great  social 
popularity,  she  becomes  every  year  more  and  more  modest  in  her  manner. 
She  has  composed  much  piano  music,  and  several  more  ambitious  works. 

Julie  Rive-King. 
Julie  Rive,  better  known  to  the  world  as  Mme.  Rive-King,  was 
born  Oct.  31,  1857,  ^^  Cincinnati,  O.,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Mme. 
Caroline  Rive,  a  pupil  of  Garcia,  and  noted  in  Cincinnati  and  New  York 
as  a  successful  and  accomplished  teacher.  To  her  mother's  education  she 
owed  an  excellent  foundation  for  the  development  of  her  rare  natural 
musical  gifts.  As  earh'  as  at  eight  years  of  age  she  had  attained  such 
proficiency  that  at  one  of  her  mother's  concerts  she  was  able  to  pla\'  Thal- 
berg's  transcription  of  themes  from  Don  Juan,  with  much  sTcill  and 
emprcsscmcnl.  Shortly  after  this  appearance  Mme.  Ri\-e  removed  to 
New  York,  and  here  young  Julie  had  the  advantage  of  instruction  from 
such  eminent  musicians  as  Dr.  William  Mason,  S.  B.  Mills  and  Pruckner. 
By  advice  of  Dr.  Mason,  who  recognized  her  genius,  she  was  sent  in  1872 
to  Europe,  where  she  was  the  pupil  of  Reinecke  at  Leipzig,  Blassman  and 
Rischpieter  of  Dresden  and  of  Liszt  at  Weimar.  In  1874  she  made  her 
debut  at  Leipzig  in  one  of  the  Euterpe  concerts,  Reinecke  conducting, 
playing  Beethoven's  third  concerto  and  Liszt's  second  rhapsodic  with  such 
exquisite  skill  and  artistic  finish  and  expression  that  she  evoked  the  greatest 
enthusiasm  of  applause  in  the  critical  audience.  A  concert  tour  of  Europe 
was  soon  after  arranged  for  her,  when  she  was  recalled  home  by  the  sad  news 
of  the  sudden  death  of  her  father,  killed  in  a  railway  disaster.  In  the  winter 
of  1873-74  s^^^  made  her  dibutheiore  an  American  audience  at  Cincinnati, 
where  she  created  a  profound  impression  in  musical  circles.  Her  reputa- 
tion was  greatly  enchanced  by  her  brilliant  performance  of  Liszt's  E  flat 
concerto,  and  Schumann's  Faschingsscfrwank  at  the  concert  of  the  New 
York  Philhannonic  in  1875.  She  established  her  fame  in  Philadei4Jhia  by 
rendering  Beethoven's  fifth  concerto  at  the  Philhannonic  concerts,  and  later 


Julie  Rive-King 


took  Chicago  by  storm  at  one  of  the  concerts  of  the  Apollo  Club.  Her 
playing  upon  this  occasion  was  of  the  brilliant  school,  her  number  creat- 
ing the  sensation  being  Liszt's  second  Hungarian  Rhapsody,  at  that  time 
was  not  so  familiar  as  it  has  since  been  made  through  orchestral  transcrip- 
tions. She  played  it  with  most  dazzling  brilliancy,  and  there  was  nothing 
to  do  but  admire  the  consunnnate  ease  of  her  technique  and  the  sweep  of 
her  brilliant  octaves  in  the  last  part.  The  applause  was  immense,  and 
she  was  recalled  again  and  again. 

Here  opened  a  new  chapter  rn  the  career  of  this  artist.  Henceforth 
for  some  time  she  appeared  in  recitals  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  with 
programmes  of  enormous  range  and  difficulty,  specimens  of  which  appear 
earlier  in  this  chapter.  Nothing  daunted  this  quiet  woman.  Bach, 
Beethoven,  Schumann,  Chopin,  Liszt,  Tausig,  everything  went.  Her 
programmes  were  well  arranged  for  presenting  the  music  in  agreeable 
sequence,  and  her  work  formed  the  distinct  continuation  of  that  of  Rubin- 
stein and  Bulow  in  the  variety,  length  and  difficulty  of  the  programmes, 
no  less  than  in  the  attractive  manner  in  which  she  played  them.  The 
strain  was  too  great.  After  a  few  j-ears  of  this  kind  of  work  she  began  to 
take  things  more  easil}',  and  as  her  concert  engagements  called  for  a  great 
deal  of  traveling,  she  plaj'ed  the  same  pieces  more  frequenth-,  and  for  a 
time  left  off  some  of  those  which  made  demands  upon  her  nerve  force 
too  great  for  ordinary-  occasions.  Many  amusing  incidents  could  be 
related  if  space  permitted,  of  the  curious  ideas  that  people  fell  into  con- 
cerning the  ease  with  which  programmes  could  be  arranged  out  of  this 
apparently  interminable  variety  of  material.  Her  reputation  became  so 
great  for  reliable  and  masterly  work  that  people  seemed  to  think  it  reason- 
able to  ask  for  any  piece  in  her  vast  repertoire,  by  memory  and  without  a 
moment's  notice,  however  difficult  or  however  unusual  it  might  be  for 
her  to  be  called  upon  to  play  it. 

Julia  Rive  was  married  in  1887  to  Mr.  Frank  H.  King,  who  had  been 
her  friend  and  manager  for  several  years.  She  has  since  resided  mostly  in 
New  York.  Mme.  King's  record  as  a  player  with  orchestra  has  been 
singularly  large  for  an  American  pianist.  She  has  played  with  all  the 
orchestral  conductors  in  this  country,  of  any  distinction,  from  Carl  Berg- 
mann  to  Gerricke.  With  Mr.  Thomas  she  played  in  upwards  of  two 
hundred  concerts.  In  this  cotmection  she  has  produced  a  large  number 
of  concertos,  invariably  with  the  finished  technique  which  has  always 
distinguished  her  work.  She  has  introduced  many  new  works  of  high  rank 
to  the  American  public.  For  .several  years  she  has  devoted  considerable 
time  to  composition,  and  has  written  a  large  number  of  piano  pieces  and  a 
few  for  orchestra.    Her  waltz.  On  Blooming  Meadows,  written  for  piano,  has 


/£^^^^^^ 


been  scored  for  orchestra  and  played  with  great  success.  She  has  also 
distinguished  herself  by  her  careful  editions  of  pieces  from  her  repertoire. 
In  person  Mnie.  King  is  of  medium  height,  blonde  complexion,  pleasant 
cast  of  countenance,  and  simple  and  entirely  unaffected  manners.  Her 
circle  of  friends  is  extremely  large,  and  her  position  in  the  front  rank  of 
pianists  unassailable. 

RiVFAEL  JOSEFFY. 

This  wonderful  pianist  was  bom,  of  Jewish  parents,  at  Miskolcz, 
Hungarj',  July  3,  1853.  His  musical  genius  showed  itself  when  he  was 
quite  a  child,  and  it  was  so  evident  that  he  was  placed  under  the  guidance 
of  the  great  teacher,  Moscheles,  in  Leipzig.  From  him  Joseffy  passed  to 
another  successful  master  and  great  virtuoso,  Tausig.  He  made  his  first 
appearance  in  Vienna  and  met  with  instant  and  unqualified  success.  The 
Vienna  musical  critics  went  into  raptures  over  his  playing.  One  of  them 
said:  "Joseffy  held  his  audience  spell-bound;  with  each  fresh  number  they 
were  electrified  by  the  grand  achievements  of  the  artist;  the  softness  and 
elasticity,  the  whispering,  the  elegance  and  sparkle  of  Joseffy's  fioratures 
and  runs  cannot  be  described;  such  brilliant  delicacy,  such  elegant  fluency, 
such  tender  shading  has  not  been  heard  since  the  time  of  Tausig  and  Liszt. ' ' 

Joseffy  then  made  a  concert  tour  through  Holland  and  Germany,  and 
was  received  everj-where  with  applause,  and  especially  in  Berlin  recog- 
nized as  a  true  successor  to  the  great  Tausig.  Later  on  he  made  art- 
istic tours  through  Italy,  all  of  Germany,  Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway  and 
Russia.  He  came  to  America  about  1879  or  1880,  and  has  appeared  reg- 
ularlj^  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States,  ever^-where  received 
as  a  master,  but  most  of  all  in  New  York  city,  where  his  position  is  one 
which  no  other  artist  can  dispute.  The  general  characteristics  of  his  style 
are  sufficiently  indicated  above.  His  technique,  while  equal  toever>^  possi- 
ble demand  of  modern  pianoforte  composers,  is  nevertheless  remarkable 
chiefly  for  its  delicacy  and  finish.  For  this  reason  it  has  been  frequently 
denied  of  him,  by  critics,  that  he  possessed  anything  of  the  fire  of  artistic 
genius;  this,  however,  is  entirely  unjust.  Many  of  his  interpretations  are 
masterl}',  and  notwithstanding  the  delicacy  of  his  playing,  at  times  he 
calls  out  the  entire  force  of  the  Steinway  pianos,  upon  which  he  invariably 
plays.  His  repertoire  includes  nearly  all  the  great  concertos,  his  especial 
favorites  being  Chopin's  in  E  minor  and  Liszt's  in  E  flat.  His  own  com- 
positions and  arrangements  are  among  the  best  studies  in  delicate  and 
refined  pianism  that  the  teaching  repertory  embraces.  In  person  Mr. 
Joseffy  is  short,  inclining  to  stoutness.  His  manners  are  singularly  quiet, 
but  he  is  witty  and,  upon  occasion,  very  sarcastic. 


Dr.  Iauis  Maas. 


»»7 


Dr.  Louis  Maas. 
Among  distinguished  musicians  who  have,  after  achieving  recognition 
and  reputation  in  Europe,  made  America  their  home  and  identified  them- 
selves with  the  cause  and  progress  of  the  art  in  their  adopted  country,  the 
name  of  Dr.  Louis  Maas  is  prominent,  and  his  reputation  is  as  wide  and 
favorable  as  that  of  any  other  pianist  and  musical  director  before  the  public 
during  the  last  decade.  Dr.  Maas  was  born  at  Wiesbaden,  Germany, 
June  21,  1852,  his  father  being  the  principal  music  teacher  of  that  town. 
He  inherited  the  musical  proclivity,  and  at  the  age  of  six  could  play  pro- 
ficiently such  selections  as  his  father  thought  judicious  to  permit  him 
to  learn.  While  still  a  child  his  father  removed  to  London,  and  the 
latter  being  reluctant  to  have  him  adopt  an  art  career,  the  lad  was 
sent  to  school  with  a  lay  profession  in  view.  Of  his  aptitude  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge,  we  may  judge  from  the  fact  that  at  fifteen  he 
graduated  at  King's  College,  with  high  class  honors.  He  had  still,  how- 
ever, cultivated  music,  in  which  he  gave  such  undoubted  evidence  of 
superior  talent  that  the  elder  Maas,  chiefly  through  the  advice  of  Joachim 
Raff,  the  great  composer,  finally  withdrew  his  objections,  and  j-oung  Maas, 
to  his  great  joy,  was  sent  back  to  Germany  in  1867,  entering  the  Royal 
Conservatorj'  of  Leipzig,  where  he  remained,  till  he  graduated,  the  pupil 
of  Carl  Reinecke  and  Dr.  Papperitz.  Up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1870, 
the  renowned  composer  Moscheles  took  a  keen  interest  in  the  career  of 
young  Maas,  in  which  his  experienced  and  unerring  judgment  discerned  a 
high  and  hopeful  promise.  In  1867  he  felt  himself  strong  enough  to  set  his 
musical  aspirations  in  a  work  for  submission  to  the  exacting  judgment  of 
the  critical  musical  world  of  Leipzig,  and  his  first  overture  was  performed 
in  the  spring  of  1868,  at  the  annual  conservatory  concert  in  Gewandhaus 
Hall,  with  gratifying  success.  The  following  year  his  second  overture  was 
brought  out  with  equally  gratifying  results,  and  in  1872  his  first  symphony 
was  produced,  eliciting  such  marked  approval  that  it  received  the  compli- 
ment of  a  performance  at  the  Gewandhaus,  the  composer  conducting.  In 
1873  and  1874,  he  spent  the  winters  in  teaching  in  Dr.  Theodor  Kullak's 
conser\-atory  (having  previously  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  his  instruction), 
and  the  summer  seasons  at  Weimar,  where  he  had  the  inestimable  advan- 
tage of  intimate  association  with  the  immortal  Liszt,  who  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  art  career  of  Mr.  Maas,  and  gave  him  the  priceless  advan- 
tage of  his  counsel,  advice  and  encouragement.  Of  the  impression  there 
made,  we  may  judge  from  the  fact  that  he  played  by  invitation  at  court 
concerts,  and  received  warm  critical  praise  for  his  rendering  of  Chopin's  E 
minor  concerto.  During  1874  he  played  in  the  principal  cities  of  Germany, 
and  in  1875,  in  answer  to  a  unanimous  call  of  the  directory,  accepted  a 


vacant  professorship  in  his  alma  mater,  the  Leipzig  Conservatory,  which, 
but  eight  years  previously,  he  had  entered  as  a  pupil.  Here  he  remained 
for  five  3-ears,  during  which  time  he  had  under  his  instruction  over  three 
hundred  pupils,  of  whom  two  hundred  were  Americans.  Association 
with  the  latter,  and  the  knowledge  thus  acquired  of  the  social  conditions 
and  musical  possibilities  of  this  countr}'-,  led  him,  in  1880,  to  resign  his 
position  at  the  conser\^ator>'  to  accept  a  lucrative  concert  engagement  in 
America,  which,  however,  he  was  prevented  from  fulfilling  by  a  serious 
illness.  On  his  recovery  some  months  afterwards,  liberal  inducements 
were  offered  him  to  return  to  Leipzig,  while  Joachim  Raff"  offered  him  the 
first  professorship  at  his  Frankfort  conservatory,  but  he  had  determined 
to  cast  his  lot  in  America,  and  his  services  were  secured  by  Dr.  Eben 
Tourjee,  director  of  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music,  ever  on 
the  alert  to  secure  the  highest  available  talent  for  that  admirable  institu- 
tion of  musical  learning.  Here  he  has  since  remained,  performing  a  work 
of  the  highest  importance,  not  only  to  that  school,  but  to  the  cause  of 
music  throughout  his  adopted  countr}',  and  high  rank  has  been  univer- 
sally accorded  to  him,  as  pianist,  composer  and  director  of  philharmonic 
concerts.  He  has  frequently  appeared  in  concert  performances  in  the  lead- 
ing cities  of  the  Union,  and  has  thus  attained  a  wide  and  appreciative 
popularit}'.  He  has  also  been  an  industrious  composer  of  music  of  a  high 
order,  producing  overtures,  symphonies,  suites,  a  triumphal  march,  fan- 
tasie-stuck,  etc.,  for  orchestra,  a  string  quartette,  songs,  violin  pieces,  three 
important  sonatas,  and  many  miscellaneous  works,  including  a  concerto 
for  the  pianoforte. 

[Since  the  preceding  sketch  was  written  we  have  the  sad  news  to 
chronicle  that  on  his  return  from  a  visit  to  Europe,  Dr.  ]\Iaas  died 
suddenly  at  Boston,  Sept.  18,  1889.] 

Emil  LiEbling. 

In  the  front  rank  of  the  musical  profession,  not  of  Chicago  onh',  but 
of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Emil  Liebling  is  readily  accorded  a  foremost 
place,  as  well  through  the  scope  and  breadth  and  many-sided  character- 
istics of  his  musical  skill  and  knowledge,  as  by  the  brillianc}-  of  his  per- 
formance as  a  virtuoso.  He  was  bom  in  Pless,  Germany,  in  1857,  and  is 
one  of  four  brothers,  all  distinguished  in  miisical  life.  Emil  Liebling 
came  young  to  America,  and  engaged  for  several  years  in  teaching  in 
schools  and  colleges.  His  intellectual  mold  was  such  that,  as  stated  in 
Freund's  Music  and  Drama,  he  soon  "acquired  the  thorough  American 
adaptability  characteristic  of  the  best  order  of  German  minds  only." 
When  he  had  attained  a  position  that  enabled  him  to  devote  time  to 

129 


higher  training  he  went  to  Berlin,  where  for  several  years  he  engaged,  in 
part,  in  study  under  Kuliak,  Ehrlich,  and  Liszt,  and,  in  part,  teaching 
the  piano  in  Kuliak 's  Conservatory  of  Music.  Here  he  acquired  the 
friendship  of  such  distinguished  artists  as  W.  H.  Sherwood,  Scharwenka, 
Moszkowski,  Sternberg  and  others,  and  moved  in  an  atmosphere  admi- 
rably adapted  to  elevate  and  enlarge  a  musical  mind  naturally  gifted  with 
those  refined  qualities  which  urge  heart  and  intellect  irresistibly  toward 
the  highest  plane  of  art.  Nor  was  his  culture  confined  to  the  art  of  music 
alone  ;  he  acquired  literary  attainments  of  a  high  order,  and  is  not  only 
an  accomplished  linguist,  but  a  graceful,  fluent  and  forcible  writer,  who, 
in  contributions  to  American  musical  journals,  has  proved  himself  a  com- 
petent critic,  of  well  balanced  and  judicial  judgment  and  an  infallible 
instinct  of  recognition  for  true  art,  as  distinguished  from  superficial  shal- 
lowness or  mere  pretense  :  he  is  known  as  a  musical  reviewer,  as  implac- 
ably merciless  toward  the  latter,  as  considerate  and  encouraging  toward 
the  former.  On  returning  to  Chicago  in  1876,  he  astonished  and  delighted 
musical  circles  by  the  refinement  of  a  technique  always  brilliant  and 
resourceful,  the  intelligence  and  poetrj'  of  his  interpretations  and  the  rare 
power,  which  he  possesses  to  a  simply  marvelous  degree,  of  adapting  him- 
self with  equal  facility  and  perfection  to  either  the  classical  or  modem 
schools  of  piano  music.  Of  Bach  he  is  one  of  the  most  perfect  exponents 
to-day,  interpreting  that  master's  compositions,  not  only  with  conscientious 
fidelity  and  unequaled  skill,  but  elucidating  the  spirit  and  motive  of  the 
music  with  an  intelligence  and  power  not  often  witnessed.  And  5-et  he 
can  turn  to  Liszt,  and  with  equal  mastery  portray  the  spirit  and  brilliancy 
of  that  master  with  a  vividness  and  superb  effect  not  excelled  by  the  high- 
est representatives  of  this  school.  In  every  epoch  of  piano  music  he  is 
equally  at  home,  and  whether  it  be  Beethoven,  Chopin,  Schumann  or 
Mendelssohn,  he  enters  into  and  identifies  himself  with  the  emotional 
content  of  the  subject,  and  infuses  into  the  instrument  the  very  spirit  of 
the  composer.  He  adds  to  the  highest  fluency  of  finger  technique,  an 
unerring  musical  instinct  and  a  refined,  artistic  sensibility.  His  recitals 
have  become  musical  events  of  the  best  order,  and  cover  a  remarkably 
wide  range  of  works,  including  nearly  everything  from  Moszkowski, 
Scharwenka,  Tschaikowski,  Sgambatti  and  Saint-Saens,  as  well  as  Bach, 
Beethoven,  Mendelssohn,  Schumann  and  Chopin,  which  he  plajj-s  without 
notes,  and  as  that  discriminating  critic,  Mr.  Mathews,  says,  "with  the 
genuine  ease  that  belongs  only  to  a  master."  He  has  also  a  brilliant 
record  in  chamber  music.  His  public  work  has  been  extensive,  embrac- 
ing concerts  in  Berlin,  where  he  was  eulogized  by  the  most  conservative 
critics,  in  Steinway  Hall,  New  York,  and  other  cities  since  1877,  with 


'-<^--^2<lat.2^^ 


131 


Theodore  Thomas  in  orchestra,  with  Wilhehiij,  the  violinist,  and  a  vast 
amount  of  work  in  Chicago,  where  he  enjoj^s  unlimited  popularity  in 
cultured  circles,  and  especially  in  the  best  walks  of  musical  life.  Mr. 
Liebling  has  exercised  a  very  active  and  important  influence  in  developing 
musical  taste  upon  higher  lines,  and  extending  the  knowledge  and  appre- 
ciation of  the  best  forms  of  music  by  his  masterly  exemplification  of  its 
power  and  beauty.  As  a  composer  he  has  won  distinction,  and  has  the 
capacity  to  perform,  as  we  may  fairly  anticipate,  distinguished  service  in 
the  future  for  the  elevation  of  American  creative  art.  His  compositions 
include  :  Florence,  yalse  de  concert ;  Meteore,  galop-;  Fcil  FoUct ;  Album- 
blatt,  a  gavotte  moderne  for  the  piano,  a  collection  of  scales,  and  a  song 
entitled,  Adieu. 

All  of  Mr.  Liebling's  brothers  are  distinguished  as  pianists.  Mr.  Max 
Iviebling  has  been  for  many  years  a  prominent  accompanist  and  conductor 
in  New  York,  whence  he  has  gone  out  from  time  to  time  with  concert 
companies.  His  brother  Saul  is  a  brilliant  concert  pianist  with  a  high 
European  reputation.  He  was  much  esteemed  by  Liszt.  A  still  j-ounger 
brother,  George,  has  an  enormous  repertoire  and  a  phenomenal  technique. 
He  has  made  several  highly  successful  concert  tours  in  Europe.  He  is 
likel}'  to  be  heard  of  more  extensively  as  years  go  by.  Mr.  Emil 
Liebling  is  happily  married,  and  lives  in  a  charming  home  in  one  of 
the  pleasantest  parts  of  Chicago. 

August  Hyllested. 
August  Hyllested,  the  Scandinavian  pianist,  was  born  in  1858  at 
Stockholm,  Sweden,  where  his  father  occupied  the  position  ofstadtmusicus. 
The  son  earl}'-  exhibited  remarkable  musical  talent,  entering  upon  the  study 
of  the  art  at  the  early  age  of  five,  and  plajdng  in  public  in  Stockholm 
with  great  success  when  but  eight  years  of  age.  Three  years  later  he 
made  a  concert  tour  through  Scandinavia.  In  1871  he  was  sent  to  Copen- 
hagen, where  he  had  for  an  instructor  Edmund  Neupert,  at  that  time 
director  of  the  piano  department  at  the  Royal  Conservatoire,  and  where 
he  had  tuition  in  composition,  by  the  great  composer,  Neils  W. 
Gade,  president  of  the  conservatoire.  After  five  j-ears  devoted  to  study 
under  such  distinguished  auspices,  he  made  a  second  tour  of  Scandinavia 
as  conductor  of  orchestra  and  solo  pianist  with  Ferdinand  Strakosch  and 
his  company,  including  Signora  Domia  Dio,  Signora  Montoya  and  Signor 
Holman.  Returning  to  Copenhagen,  he  became  organist  of  the  Kykjobing 
cathedral  and  conductor  of  the  musical  societJ^  Removing  to  Berlin  two 
years  later,  he  became  a  pupil  of  Xaver  Scharwenka  and  the  celebrated 
Theodor  Kullak.     In  1880  he  went  to  Weimar  to  play  for  the  great  master, 


Franz  Liszt.  lyiszt  was  greatly  interested  in  Hyllested,  spoke  warm  words 
of  encouragement,  and  in  a  letter  to  the  Danish  royal  assessor  at  Copenha- 
gen, said  :  '  'Among  the  many  pianists  I  have  had  the  opportunity  to 
hear  I  find  only  a  few  that  are  really  talented  artists,  but  among  these 
few  is  particularly  the  Scandinavian  pianist,  August  Hyllested."  This 
high  commendation  did  not  prevent  the  artist  from  returning  to  Berlin 
and  studying  counterpoint  under  Kiel.  In  1883  he  made  a  very  success- 
ful concert  tour  through  Great  Britain,  playing  at  the  Crj^stal  Palace,  and 
also  in  the  principal  cities  throughout  the  country.  Soon  after,  upon  the 
invitation  of  her  royal  highness  the  Princess  lyouise,  he  spent  the  sum- 
mer at  her  residence  in  Itzehoe.  In  the  fall  he  left  for  England  with 
letters  from  the  roj^al  family  of  Denmark  to  the  Princess  of  Wales.  He 
gave  his  first  concert  at  the  house  of  the  Earl  of  Dudley,  and  afterward 
plajred  before  the  royal  family  at  Marlborough  House.  In  1885  Hyl- 
lested came  to  this  country  under  the  well  known  impresario,  L.  M.  Ruben. 
After  giving  four  concerts  in  Steinway  Hall,  N.  Y. ,  with  Ovide  Musin, 
the  Belgian  violinist,  he  made  a  tour  of  the  principal  eastern  cities  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada.  At  the  National  Music  Teachers'  Convention 
in  Boston  that  j'ear,  he  became  acquainted  with  Dr.  Ziegfeld,  and  was 
induced  to  come  to  Chicago,  where  he  became  and  remains  assistant 
director  of  the  piano  department  of  the  college.  That  the  young  instructor 
has  won  popular  favor  in  Chicago,  goes  without  saying.  His  concert 
work  has  been  very  successful  and  his  compositions  have  been  well 
received,  while  his  influence  through  the  classes  of  his  pupils  is  trans- 
mitted throughout  the  country,  to  the  great  advantage  of  general  musical 
culture.  The  Society  of  Merit,  of  Palermo,  Italy,  has  recently  sent  him 
a  gold  medal  in  recognition  of  his  ability  as  an  artist.  We  know  of  no 
one  who  is  more  conscientiously  devoted  to  his  art,  or  who  more  thor- 
oughly recognizes  his  obligations  to  the  great  work  of  musical  cultivation, 

Carlyl^;  Petersilea. 

No  mttsician  of  American  birth  has  attained  a  higher  eminence  in  that 
broader  world  of  art,  which  knows  no  geographical  distinctions,  than  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  As  pianoforte  virtuoso,  as  teacher  and  as  the 
author  of  standard  didactic  works,  whose  excellences  are  approved  by  the 
highest  and  most  critical  musical  authority,  Mr.  Petersilea  has  acquired 
an  enviable  reputation  for  himself,  and  brought  honor  upon  American  art 
Hfe.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Boston,  Jan.  18,  1844,  and  inherited 
his  musical  predilection  from  his  father,  Franz  Petersilea,  a  musician  of 
superior  attainments,  the  author  of  the  Petersilea  Piano  System,  published 
1872,  and  who  had  himself  been  the  pupil  of  the  great  and  gifted  Hum- 

134 


135 


mel.  To  direct  and  develop  the  musical  talent  which  young  Petersilea 
early  evinced  was  a  labor  of  love  for  his  father,  and  so  thoroughly  was 
this  work  performed  and  so  readily  did  the  genius  of  the  pupil  respond  to 
the  promptings  of  the  preceptor  that  after  being  admitted  to  the  Con- 
servatory of  Leipzig,  whither  he  was  sent  to  perfect  his  musical  education, 
in  October,  1862,  he  was  enabled  to  graduate  with  honor  in  August,  1865. 
His  talent  was  recognized  by  that  keen  and  discriminating  observer  and 
grand  old  musician,  Moscheles,  and  this  great  master  was  pleased  to  bring 
him  forward  on  all  important  occasions.  On  his  graduation  a  testimonial 
was  awarded  to  him,  signed  by  the  names  of  eleven  distinguished  masters, 
including  IMoscheles,  Dr.  Papperitz,  Carl  Reinecke,  Franz  Brendel,  E.  F. 
Richter  and  Ernest  Hauptmann,  which  relates  that  — 

Mr.  Petersilea  attained  superior  accoinplishmefit  in  his  general  musical  educa- 
tion, and  particularly  in  piano  playing  (solo  and  ensemble),  by  musical  conception 
and  technical  virtuosity,  the  highest  eviinence. 

In  the  Grand  Pruefengen  of  the  Conservatory  at  Leipzig,  held  in  the  Gewand- 
haus  Hall,  Mr.  Petersilea  rendered  Concert  Fantastique  of  Moscheles,  April  18,  1863  ; 
F  Minor  Concerto  of  Chopin,  April  8,  1864  ;  Concerto  for  Pianoforte  of  Henselt,  April 
27,  1865,  achieving  great  and  deserving  distinction  ;  and  at  Easter,  186G,  the  prize  out 
of  the  He/big  Fund  was  awarded  to  Mr.  Carlyle  Petersilea,  at  the  unanimous  request 
of  the  directorial  board  and  individual  teachers  of  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at 
Leipzig. 

On  leaving  Leipzig,  Mr.  Petersilea  played  with  distinguished  success 
in  the  leading  cities  of  Germany,  and  subsequently  returned  to  his  native 
cit}-,  where  he  astonished  and  delighted  musical  circles  with  the  brilliancy 
of  his  musical  accomplishments.  Entering  upon  the  career  of  teacher 
and  executant,  he  was  induced  by  friends  to  establish  a  school  of  music, 
which,  as  the  "Petersilea  Academy  of  Music,"  was  in  successful  opera- 
tion from  1 87 1  to  1886,  when  he  was  induced  to  give  it  up  and  accept  the 
position  which  he  has  since  held,  at  the  New  England  Conserv^atory  of 
Music.  In  1884  he  visited  Europe,  where  he  passed  the  spring  at 
Weimar,  with  the  great  master  Liszt.  He  gave,  on  April  10,  a  concert  at 
the  Singakademie,  Berlin,  in  which  he  commanded  the  most  eulogistic 
notice  from  the  critics.  H.  Ehrlich,  in  the  Berliner  Tagcblatt,  said  :  "In 
all  these  pieces,  Mr.  Petersilea  proved  himself  a  very  solid  and  scholarly 
pianist. ' '  The  Berliner  Frcmdeiiblatt  said  :  ' '  His  technique  is  extraordi- 
nary and  reliable. ' '  Tlie  Kreuz  Zeitung:  ' '  His  playing  is  characterized 
\)Y  great  purity,  beautiful  and  expressive  touch,  and  almost  infallible 
technical  accuracy,  combined  with  an  animated  and  profound  conception. ' ' 
The  Vossiche  Zeitung:  "He  possesses  a  magnetic,  facile  and  accurate 
technique,  especially  with  a  tendency  tothe  majestic,  and,  all  in  all,  an 
animated  style  of  playing. ' '  The  Deutsche  Musik  Zeitung:  ' '  The  con- 
cert giver  proved  himself  not  only  a  ctiltivated  musician,  but  also  a 
superb  pianist,  whose  renderings  glow  with  warmth  and  fire."     Leonard 

1.16 


Emil  Bach,  court  pianist  at  Berlin,  in  a  letter  to  the  German  press, 
enthusiastically  praises  the  American  virtuoso,  saj-ing  of  a  meeting  at  the 
house  of  an  American  citizen  at  Berlin  ;  "I  had  the  pleasure  of  making 
the  acquaintance  of  the  eminent  pianist,  Mr.  Carlyle  Petersilea,  from 
Boston,  who  excited  our  amazement  by  his  grand  and  masterly  perform- 
ance, which  had  all  the  passionate  fire  of  Rubinstein,"  etc.  Mr.  Peter- 
silea has  received  from  the  Italian  Academy  of  Art  and  Science  a  diploma, 
with  a  grand  gold  medal  and  other  decorations.  His  technical  studies, 
and  also  his  complete  scales  and  Arpeggios  have  become  standard  works, 
in  use  both  in  Europe  and  America.  He  possesses  a  phenomenal  musical 
memor}',  having  at  different  times  performed  from  memory  the  entire 
Beethoven  sonatas,  and  other  important  and  difficult  works. 

Miss  Amy  Fay. 

Miss  Amy  Fay  was  born  at  Baj'ou  Goula,  May  2 1 ,  1844,  on  a  plantation 
on  the  Mississippi  river,  eighty  miles  from  New  Orleans,  La.  Her 
parents  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  Charles  Fay,  a  son  of  the  late  Hon.  Samuel  P. 
Fay,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and -Charlotte  Emily,  a  daughter  of  the  late 
Bishop  John  Henry  Hopkins,  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  church  of 
Vermont.  The  families  were  musical  on  both  sides,  but  Mrs.  Fay  was 
a  veritable  musical  genius,  and  although  she  had  no  instruction  after  her 
tenth  j-ear,  she  kept  up  her  practice  herself,  and  after  her  marriage  she 
learned  the  great  concert  pieces  of  Thalberg  and  De  Meyer,  the  pianists 
of  the  day,  and  alwaj^s  extemporized  on  an}-  given  air  in  a  remarkable 
manner.  Her  ear  was  so  perfect  that  when  her  husband  put  his  finger  on 
any  key  of  the  piano  within  range  of  the  voice,  as  he  sometimes  did, 
without  pressing  it  down,  and  asked  her  to 'sing  that  tone,  she  would  do 
so  immediately,  and  then  when  the  ke}^  was  struck,  the  pitch  was  identical 
with  the  tone  sung.  Amy  was  the  third  of  a  family  of  seven  children 
(six  girls  and  one  boy),  all  of  whom  were  gifted  musicalh',  and  all  of 
whom  played  and  sang.  She  early  manifested  her  talent,  and  began  to 
play  by  ear  and  compose  little  pieces  when  only  four  3'ears  old.  Mrs.  Fay 
taught  all  her  children  music  when  they  were  five  3'ears  old,  her  theor>' 
being,  that  the  younger  children  begin  to  study,  the  easier  it  is  to  train 
their  minds.  While  they  were  not  forced  at  all,  thej-  thus  imbibed  music 
as  easily  as  they  learned  their  letters,  and  the  oldest  girl,  Zina  (as  she 
was  called,  from  "  Melusina  ")  even  played  the  melodeon  and  started  the 
tunes  in  her  father's  church  in  New  Orleans,  when  she  was  only  seven 
years  old!  While  music  was  a  part  of  the  general  education  of  the  children, 
it  was  not  the  exclusive  object  of  it.  Dr.  Fa}-  was  a  man  of  unusual 
Bcholastic  attainments,  having  graduated  at  Harvard  university  second 

137 


in  the  class  of  1829,  a  class  which  was  unusually  brilliant,  and  which 
enrolled  the  names  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  and  other  noted  men.  Dr. 
Fay  took  great  interest  in  the  education  of  his  children,  and  after  they 
went  to  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  to  live,  in  1848,  in  order  to  be  near  Bishop 
Hopkins,  superintended  it  largely  himself  Amy  was  made  to  learn  Latin 
and  Greek,  German  and  French,  as  a  child,  reciting  to  her  father  daily. 
From  her  mother  she  learned  music,  drawing  and  to  write  compositions. 
Other  branches  were  also  not  neglected.  Her  education  was  a  very  com- 
plete one,  and  thoroughly  rounded.  When  she  was  twehe  years  old  her 
mother  died,  and  after  the  marriage  of  her  older  sister,  Zina,  to  Charles 
Peirce,  a  son  of  Professor  Peirce,  of  Harvard  College,  at  nineteen  j^ears  of 
age,  she  went  to  live  with  her,  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  It  was  here  that  she 
began  to  study  Bach,  with  Prof  J.  K.  Paine,  and  also  to  attend  the  piano 
class  of  Otto  Dresel,  in  the  New  England  Consen^atory  of  Mu^ic.  From 
these  two  masters  Amy  received  very  different  views  of  music.  She  made 
her  first  great  start,  however,  in  piano  technique,  under  Mr.  Pychowski, 
a  Pole,  an  artist  who  lived  in  New  York,  but  who  taught  in  a  normal 
school  one  summer  at  Geneseo,  N.  Y.  She  attended  this  school  when  she 
was  seventeen,  when  Mr.  Pychowski  was  there,  and  in  six  weeks  he  entirely 
revolutionized  her  ideas  of  hov/  to  stud}'  the  piano,  with  most  important 
results  to  her  after  career.  It  was  from  him  that  she  first  learned  the 
value  of  five-finger  exercises  and  the  necessity  of  practicing  each  hand 
separately,  and  the  left  hand  as  much  as  the  right  one.  Her  family  was 
quite  startled  at  the  immense  progress  she  made  in  six  weeks'  study  with 
Mr.  Pychowski,  and  when  she  was  twenty-one  she  went  to  New  York  and 
took  one  more  quarter's  lessons  of  him.  Miss  Fay  did  not  go  to  Europe  to 
study  music  as  a  profession,  however,  till  she  was  twenty-five  years  old, 
and  in  this  respect  her  experience  has  been  directly  opposite  to  that  of 
most  artists  who  make  their  first  successes  in  public  long  before  that  age. 
She  was  attracted  to  Berlin  by  the  fame  of  Carl  Tausig,  who  had  estab- 
lished a  school  for  the  higher  piano  playing.  Tausig' s  name  was  first 
spoken  to  her  by  Professor  Paine,  who  remarked  to  her  one  da}-,  "  There  is 
a  young  man  in  Berlin  who  plays  the  piano  like  forty  thousand  devils!  His 
name  is  Carl  Tausig."  This  remark  was  intended  in  a  complimentary 
sense,  and  so  excited  Amy's  imagination  that  to  Tausig  she  was  bound 
to  go! 

She  remained  one  ^-ear  in  Tausig's  conservatory,  when,  at  the  end  of 
that  time  he  gave  it  up.  Here  she  got  a  conception  of  what  piano  virtu- 
osity in  its  highest  development  is,  through  the  frequent  opportunities  she 
had  of  hearing  Tausig  play  to  his  pupils.  She  then  continued  her  studies 
with  Dr.  Kullak,  with  whom  she  remained  for  three  years,  going  to  Weimar 


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^^1 


in  the  summer  of  1873,  to  put  herself  under  L,iszt's  instruction.  Liszt's 
playing  was  as  great  a  revolution  to  her  in  musical  conception  asTausig's 
had  been  in  technique.  In  the  fall  of  1873  she  returned  to  Berlin  and 
resumed  lessons  with  Dr.  Kullak,  with  whom  she  studied  for  several 
months.  By  his  advice  she  was  preparing  to  make  her  debut  in  concert  in 
Berlin,  when  she  met  Herr  Concertmeister  Deppe.  Herr  Deppe  had  already 
been  described  to  her  as  a  remarkable  teacher,  and  she  became  so  inter- 
ested in  his  ideas  on  a  first  interview  that  she  decided  to  take  some  lessons 
of  him.  For  a  year  and  a  half  she  was  a  diligent  student  under  him,  and 
then  returned  to  Weimar  for  a  few  weeks  more  of  Liszt  before  returning  to 
America  in  October,  1875,  after  six  years'  absence.  The  first  few  months 
after  her  arrival  here  were  spent  in  New  York  city,  where  she  made  her 
debut  in  a  concert  of  the  Mendelssohn  Glee  Club,  and  afterward  she  played 
in  some  other  concerts.  Later  she  went  back  to  her  old  home  in  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  where  she  gave  her  first  recital,  following  it  up  with  another 
one  in  Boston.  She  was  at  once  pronounced  an  artist  by  the  press,  and 
played  with  Theodore  Thomas'  orchestra  at  the  Sanders  theatre  in 
Cambridge,  and  at  the  Worcester,  Mass. ,  musical  festival.  She  was  the  first 
pianist  to  introduce  the  playing  of  piano  concertos  at  these  festivals, 
which  has  been  done  ever  since.  After  spending  three  years  in  Cam- 
bridge and  Boston,  Miss  Fay  came  to  Chicago  to  live,  in  1878,  where  she 
has  remained  ever  since,  dividing  her  time  about  equally  between  teaching 
and  playing  throughout  western  towns  and  cities.  Her  concerts  have 
taken  the  form  of  what  she  calls  ' '  Piano  Conversations, ' '  and  her  plan  is 
to  talk  to  her  audiences  before  each  piece  long  enough  to  impart  to  them 
her  own  feeling,  thought  and  information  in  regard  to  it.  This  method 
of  giving  piano  recitals  meets  with  much  approval,  and  they  have  been 
happily  described  as  ' '  An  exhibition  of  exquisite  musical  pictures,  illumi- 
nated by  eloquent  words." 

During  her  sojourn  in  Chicago  Miss  Fay  has  turned  out  some  fine 
pupils  who  have  distinguished  themselves  in  various  educational  institu- 
tions. Her  book,  Music  Study  in  Germany,  is  widely  read,  both  in  this 
countrj'  and  in  Europe,  and  has  made  her  an  authority  on  the  subject  of 
which  it  treats.  It  was  published  through  the  influence  of  the  poet 
Longfellow,  who  revised  it  in  manuscript  with  the  greatest  care  and  interest, 
and  gave  it  its  name,  and  it  has  since  received  the  double  honor  of  being 
translated  into  German  at  the  request  of  Liszt.  In  Germany  it  enjoys 
the  same  popularity  as  in  this  countr3^  In  1886  it  was  republished  in 
London  by  Macmillan,  at  the  request  of  Sir  George  Grove,  who  also  wrote 
a  preface  to  it.  It  received  extended  and  enthusiastic  notices  from  all 
the  papers  there,  and  has  passed  through  several  editions  in  England. 


For  the  last  five  years  Miss  Fay  has  devoted  much  of  her  time  during  the 
winter  to  the  Artists'  Concert  Club,  an  association  of  musicians,  formed 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  fortnightly  concerts  throughout  the  season, 
at  which  the  performers  are  resident  Chicago  artists,  and  the  music 
of  the  highest  order.  She  founded  this  club  in  the  conviction  that  it 
would  exercise  a  happy  influence  in  establishing  a  friendly  intercourse 
between  local  artists,  and  that  it  would  give  them  frequent  opportunity 
to  enjoy  the  stimulus  of  playing  in  public  and  before  each  other  in  their 
own  city.  In  this  she  has  not  been  disappointed,  and  the  club  has 
exerted  an  important  influence  on  the  music  of  Chicago  since  its  inception. 
It  would  be  well  if  such  a  one  existed  in  all  cities.  Liszt  has  included 
Miss  Fay's  name  in  the  roll  of  his  best  pupils,  in  a  list  made  out  b}-  himself. 
(See  Nohl's  biography  of  Liszt,  translated  by  George  P.  Upton.)  She 
was  held  in  high  estimation  by  him  as  a  woman  and  a  musician. 

Carl  Wolfsohn. 
This  celebrated  musical  scholar  and  artist  was  born  at  Alzey,  Rein- 
hessen,  Germany,  Dec.  14,  1834.  His  musical  talent  showing  itself  at  an 
early  age,  he  w^as  put  to  the  study  of  the  pianoforte  under  that  excellent 
master,  Aloys  Schmitt,  of  Frankfort,  with  whom  he  remained  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  his  studies  were  interrupted  by  the  revolution 
of  1848.  In  December  of  that  year  he  made  his  debut  as  pianist  at 
Frankfort,  in  Beethoven's  pianoforte  quintette.  After  two  years'  further 
studies  under  Vincent  Lachner  and  Mme.  Heinfeiter,  he  made  asuuccessful 
concert  tour  through  Rhenish  Bavaria.  He  then  went  to  London,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  He  came  to  America  in  1854  and  settled 
in  Philadelphia,  where  he  lived  and  worked  for  many  years.  He  was 
first  a  pianist,  plaj-ing  in  public  frequently,  introducing  there  many  of  the 
leading  pianoforte  concertos  with  orchestra,  and  giving  everj^  year  for 
nearly  twenty  years,  series  of  concerts  of  chamber  music,  at  which  he 
introduced  nearly  everj-thing  belonging  to  this  class  of  art.  To  these 
multifarious  and  many-sided  activities,  he  added  the  work  of  an  orches- 
tral conductor,  and  for  two  years  gave  symphonj^  concerts  in  that  city, 
where  again  he  distinguished  himself  by  the  breadth  and  range  of  the 
programme.  He  first  attracted  national  attention  as  a  pianist,  or  more  prop- 
erly as  a  singularly  broad  musical  scholar  upon  the  piano  in  1863,  by  his 
series  of  recitals  of  all  the  sonatas  of  Beethoven.  These  he  gave  in  two 
successive  seasons  in  Philadelphia,  and  then  gave  two  repetitions  of  them 
in  Steinway  hall,  New  York,  It  was  the  latter  repetition  which  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  countrj',  owing  to  the  metropolitan  character  of  the 
New  York  press  and  the  attention  paid  to  this  great  undertaking  by  all  the 
10  141 


leading  musical  critics  there.  Still  later  Mr.  Wolfsohn  played  all  the  piano- 
forte compositions  of  Schumann,  in  succession,  at  a  series  of  recitals,  and 
still  later  all  the  works  of  Chopin.  When  the  enormous  difficulties  of 
some  of  these  works  are  taken  into  account,  and  the  many-sided  develop- 
ment of  pianoforte  technique  represented  by  them,  together  with  the 
recondite  nature  of  many  of  the  ideas  of  this  tone  poetry  (corresponding  to 
the  Brownings,  Shakespeares  Dantes  and  Coleridges  of  literature),  some 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  artistic  faith  called  into  exercise  in  presenting 
anything  so  essentially  heroic  and  self-forgetful  in  a  countrj^  so  little  given 
to  music  of  this  kind  as  America  is  reputed  to  be.  He  completed  the 
series,  with  no  small  success.  Naturally  he  succeded  better  in  the  works 
of  Beethoven,  because  his  early  studies  had  been  made  in  more  just 
preparation  for  this  school.  But  as  a  Schumann  player  Mr.  Wolfsohn  is 
one  of  the  best,  his  musical  intelligence  and  wide  artistic  experience  mak- 
ing many  things  clear  under  his  fingers  which  the  mere  virtuoso  passes 
over  unconsciously  and  meaninglessly. 

Mr.  Wolfsohn  removed  to  Chicago  in  1873  and  renewed  his  activity 
here  as  conductor  of  the  Beethoven  society,  a  mixed  chorus  formed 
expressly  for  him,  containing  within  its  ranks  many  of  the  most  devoted 
music  lovers  of  the  city.  This  society  produced  an  extremely  creditable 
succession  of  works,  many  of  them  for  the  first  time  in  the  city.  Among 
them  were  Bruch's  Odysseus,  Beethoven's  mass  in  C,  Gade's  Crusaders, 
Hofman's  Legend  of  the  Fair  Melusina,  and  many  other  important  works. 

As  a  vocal  conductor  Mr.  Wolfsohn  was  strong  upon  the  musical 
side,  but  upon  the  purely  technical  he  was  not  so  good.  The  society 
finally  subsided,  in  consequence  of  insufficient  support,  and,  it  may  be 
added,  the  elevation  of  the  standard  of  vocal  work  by  a  rival  society. 
Mr.  Wolfsohn's  activity  did  not  rest  with  his  efforts  in  the  field  of  vocal 
music  alone.  He  repeated  here  the  Beethoven  sonatas,  the  same  as 
already  in  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  affording  manj^  even  among  our 
Advanced  teachers  their  first  opportunities  of  hearing  some  of  the  greatest 
of  these  noble  and  beautiful  compositions.  He  followed  up  his  distin- 
guished success  in  the  Beethoven  season,  with  the  Schumann  works,  in 
which  his  relation  was  that  of  pioneer,  for  outside  an  extremely  limited 
number  of  his  pieces,  the  works  of  Robert  Schumann  were  at  that  time 
a  sealed  book  to  the  majority  of  even  our  best  pianists.  In  the  follow- 
ing season  he  gave  the  Chopin  works.  In  this  he  was  less  successful. 
The  standard  of  taste  for  virtuosit}^  in  piano  plajang  had  been  set  in  a 
high  key  by  the  then  recent  seasons  of  the  great  pianists,  Rubinstein  and 
Bulow,  nor  had  this  standard  been  allowed  to  fall  by  their  successors 
upon  our  concert  stage,   Mmes.  Essipoff.  Rive-King  and  Carreno.     Mr. 


Wolfsohn,  playing  from  the  standpoint  of  the  artist  and  musical  scholar, 
and  not  from  that  of  a  virtuoso,  found  it  impossible  to  stand  against  the 
current  with  the  same  success  as  formerly.  He  was  heard  with  great 
pleasure  and  edification  by  a  considerable  body  of  faithful  lovers  of 
art  for  art's  own  sake;  but  he  did  not  close  the  season  with  the  same  pres- 
tige as  formerly.  Later  he  projected  a  series  of  historical  recitals  cover- 
ing the  whole  range  of  musical  literature,  extending  to  about  one  hun- 
dred in  number.  The  programmes  of  the  entire  series  were  formulated, 
and  about  ten  or  fifteen  of  the  course  were  completed.  But  circum- 
stances induced  him  to  abandon  the  project  at  a  time  when  he  had  just 
got  down  to  the  interesting  parts. 

Mr.  Wolfsohn  has  given  trio  concerts  in  Chicago  for  more  than  ten 
seasons,  and  has  played  in  them  an  extremely  wide  selection  of  all  the 
greatest  and  best  works  for  piano,  of  classical  and  modern  schools.  They 
have  been  attended  by  the  best  music  lovers  of  the  city,  and  form  a 
delightful  social  reunion,  which  the  musical  life  of  the  city  would  miss 
very  much  if  they  were  to  be  discontinued.  As  a  teacher,  also,  he  has 
done  a  great  deal  of  honorable  work.  Very  man}^  artists  have  been 
turned  out  by  him,  or  rather  have  been  indebted  to  him  for  making  them 
musicians  so  thoroughly  as  to  put  it  out  of  the  power  of  subsequent 
teachers  to  reduce  them  to  mere  virtuosi.  Among  these  the  name  most 
distinguished  is  probably  that  of  Mme.  Bloomfield-Zeisler.  Mr.  Wolf- 
sohn is  still  active,  full  of  spirit  and  plans  for  the  future.  One  of  his 
pet  desiies  has  been  that  of  seeing  an  orchestra  established  in  Chicago 
upon  a  solid  basis.  Another  is  a  national  conservator^',  or  a  thoroughly 
endowed  college  of  music,  officered  with  exclusive  reference  to  the  art  of 
music  in  its  higher  departments.  He  visits  his  relatives  near  Frankfort, 
on-the-Main  every  summer,  and  is  a  regular  attendant  at  the  Bayreuth 
festivals.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  practical  workers  in  the  Wagner 
societies  in  this  country,  and  so  long  ago  as  his  symphony  concerts  in 
Philadelphia  gave  Wagnerian  selections.  As  will  be  seen  from  the  fore- 
going record,  Mr.  Carl  Wolfsohn  is  a  musician  worthy  of  the  highest 
possible  honor,  and  his  name  deserves  to  go  down  among  those  of  the 
musical  apostles  and  saints  of  America. 

Mention  has  already  been  made  of  several  pupils  of  Mr.  Wolfsohn, 
who  have  sub.sequently  become  distinguished,  one  of  whom  follows  here- 
upon. But  there  are  other  musicians,  not  pianists,  who  have  been  helped 
and  inspired  by  this  master.  Michael  Banner,  the  violinist,  was  one  whom 
Wolfsohn  practically  took  control  of  and  sent  to  Jacobsohn  at  Cincinnati, 
who  educated  in  him  the  beginnings  of  a  promising  art  life.  Banner  took 
the  first  prize  at  the  Paris  Conservator}',  and  now  lives  in  New  York. 


Fanxie   Bloom  it  eld  Zhisler. 

This  accomplished  woman  and  facinating  pianist  was  born  at  Beilitz 
Austria,  in  1865,  and  became  Americanized  by  the  removal  of  her 
parents  to  Chicago  when  she  was  but  two  years  of  age.  From  infancy 
she  gave  evidence  of  the  remarkable  talent  with  which  she  was  endowed, 
and  after  a  few  years  of  instruction,  she  was  accustomed  to  play  in 
public,  moitly  at  concerts  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  then  existing 
Beethoven  Societj',  at  Chicago,  where  her  performances  created  genuine 
admiration,  and  she  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  musical  prodigy.  When  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  Fannie  Bloomfield  played  before  the  famous  Mme. 
EssipofF,  then  in  Chicago  on  a  concert  tour,  who,  recognizing  the  little 
girl's  genius,  urged  her  to  go  to  Vienna  and  undertake  a  course  of  study 
and  training  with  Leschetizky,  Essipoff's  husband  and  teacher.  Little 
did  either  of  them  think  that  ten  years  later  they  would  play  together 
in  London  and  be  mentioned  by  critics  of  that  city  as  artists  of  equal  rank. 

Pursuing  Essipoff's  advice,  Fannie  Bloomfield  went  to  Vienna  and 
studied  under  the  great  master  for  five  years,  and  on  making  her  dcbid  at 
Vienna  won  the  most  enthusiastic  opinions  from  the  critics  of  that  great 
centre  of  musical  life.  Eduard  Hanslick,  in  the  Vienna  Ncue  Freie  Prcsse, 
wrote:  "  Mi.ss  Bloomfield  proved  herself  a  thorough  artiste  and  brilliant 
performer,"  and  the  Vienna  Tribune  said:  "Her  playing  impresses  one 
by  the  masculine  spirit  of  its  conception  and  faultless  accuracy  of  its 
technique."  She  made  her  first  American  appearance  at  the  Beethoven 
Societ3''s  concert,  Chicago,  Jan.  11,  1884,  under  the  direction  of  Carl 
Wolfsohn,  giving  o.i  this  occasion  Henselt's  concerto,  with  orchestra. 
She  then  plaj-ed  Weber's  Concertstueck  with  orchestra,  at  a  concert  of  the 
Milwaukee  Symphony  Society-,  also  gave  recitals  in  Chicago,  St.  Louis 
and  Baltimore,  and  on  Oct.  14  plaj-ed  again  at  the  Kimball  Hall  opening 
in  Chicago,  and  on  each  of  these  occasions  was  the  centre  of  attraction 
and  the  recipient  of  high  praise.  She  made  her  dcbiif  in  Boston  at 
the  Symphony  Concerts  in  the  fall  of  1884,  under  the  direction  of  Gericke, 
winning  distinguished  applause.  Calixa  Lavallee  wrote  of  her  playing 
on  this  occasion:  "Some  misgiving  had  been  manifested  as  to  the  advis- 
ability of  the  choice  of  this  concerto  (Henselt's)  for  her  Boston  debut, 
since  the  massive  chords  and  octave  passages  seem  to  call  for  a  man's 
power,  but  those  who  heard  her  last  night  must  say  that  if  there  is  a  lady 
who  can  make  us  forget  this  it  is  Miss  Bloomfield.  ■==  *  *  Miss 
Bloomfield  displayed  the  qualities  of  a  conscientious  and  finished 
artiste  —  clear  and  brilliant  technique,  fine  phrasing,  delicacj^  and  fine 
coloring,  dash  and  fire  which  could  not  be  expected  from  such  a  delicate 
hand;  still  not  surprising   since  the  artist  speaks  from  the  soul."     In 

I4S 


February,  1885  she  plaj'cJ  in  one  of  Van  der  vStucken's  Novelty  Concerts 
at  Steinway  Hall,  in  New  York,  of  which  performance  the  New  York 
World  spoke  thus:  "  In  brilliancy  and  precision  of  execution,  delicacy 
of  expression  and  individuality  of  style,  Miss  Bloomfield's  performance 
has  not  been  excelled  by  any  lady  pianist  who  has  appeared  in  this 
city  since  the  days  of  Essipoflf."  And  Floersheim,  an  eminent  critic,  said 
in  the  Musical  Courier:  "Since  Essipoff's  departure  we  have  not  heard  in 
New  York  a  pianiste  with  so  much  musical  intelligence  and  feeling,  such  a 
finished  and  evenly  developed  technique,  and  such  healthy  and  agreeable 
tone,  combined  with  a  firm  yet  elastic  touch  which  allows  the  use  of  every 
shade  of  tone  production.  Her  finger  technique  and  octave  plaj-ing  are 
truly  astonishing  for  power  and  beauty."  Of  her  appearance  at  the  New 
York  S3'mphony  Societj^  concert,  under  direction  of  Damrosch,  April  4, 
1885,  Frederick  Archer  wrote:  "  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  when  she  came 
on  the  platform  she  was  received  in  almost  total  silence.  At  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  concert  the  house  fairly  '  rose '  at  her,  and  after  reappearing 
three  times  she  was  compelled  to  play  an  encore.  A  success  so  genuine 
has  some  value. ' '  These  various  criticisms,  a  few  of  a  mass  of  eulogies, 
were  selected  as  giving  a  fair  idea  of  her  style  and  powers  as  an  executant. 
Jan.  21,  1866,  she  played  with  orchestra  at  a  St.  Louis  Musical  Union 
concert,  in  October  at  Messrs.  Page  Turner's  concert  with  the  Dannreuther 
Quartette  at  Montreal,  Can.  In  1887  she  played  Chopin's  F  minor  concerto 
at  the  Boston  Symphony  Concerts,  Gerricke  directing;  Rubinstein's  D 
minor  concerto  at  the  Chickering  Hall  Symphonic  Concerts,  New  York, 
under  Van  der  Stucken,  and  the  Peabody  Symphon}"  Concerts  at  Baltimore 
under  Hamerik;  she  assisted  at  a  chamber  music  concert  of  the  Detroit 
Philharmonic  Club,  and  at  a  great  many  others  in  various  cities  too 
numerous  to  mention.  Ma)'  30  and  31,  1888,  she  played  to  illustrate 
Krehbiel's  lectures  on  music  in  New  York.  In  August,  1888,  she  went 
to  Europe,  attending  the  Wagner  Festivals  at  Bayreuth,  and  spending 
several  months  at  Vienna  with  her  old  teacher  Lesclietizkj'  and  Mme. 
Essipoff".  She  was  induced  to  accompany  the  latter  to  London,  and  in 
that  city  the  two  pianists  appeared  together  at  the  Monday  Popular  con- 
certs and  at  Steinwaj'  Hall,  creating  immense  enthusiasm,  on  the  former 
occasion  giving  variations  on  a  theme  by  Beethoven  and  a  duo  from 
Schuman's  Manfred,  Mme  Bloomfield-Zeisler  playing  first  piano  with 
Mme.  EssipoflFas  the  second  piano.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  had 
bestowed  upon  her  the  compliment  of  dedications  of  some  verj'  fine 
compositions  of  Eduard  Schuett,  Leschetizky  and  a  great  number  of 
American  composers.  She  has  played  for  the  Music  Teachers'  National 
Association  in  Cleveland  in  1884,  New  York  1885,  and  Indianapolis  1887, 

14S 


J 


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on  the  latter  occasion  presenting  an  Essay  on  Expression  in  Piano  Play- 
ing, which  was  heard  with  great  interest.  She  is  a  member  of  a  family- 
including  a  number  of  eminent  musicians,  among  whom  may  be  men- 
tioned Moritz  Rosenthal,  Adolf  Robinson  and  Mme.  Bertha  Pierson. 
On  Oct.  i8th,  1885,  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Sigmund  Zeisler,  a  success- 
ful Chicago  lawj-er. 

Charles  Wels. 

Mr.  Charles  Wels,  who.se  name  is  well  and  favorably  known  among 
American  musicians,  was  born  at  Prague,  Austria,  in  1825.  Prague  is  a 
musical  city,  and  young  Wels  was  brought  up  in  an  art  atmosphere 
which  influenced  him  to  adopt  the  career  of  a  musician.  While  pursuing 
his  general  education  his  musical  talents  were  not  neglected,  and  at  the 
age  of  eleven  he  wrote  waltzes  and  other  trifling  compositions,  which 
would  have  been  published  but  for  the  timely  interference  of  his  parents. 
When  he  was  nineteen  years  old  he  began  to  study  with  Tomascheck, 
wdio  was  conducting  a  conservatory  at  Prague.  There  was  a  notable 
array  of  students  at  the  conservatory  at  that  time,  among  them  Drey- 
schock,  Schulhoff,  Kuhe,  Dr.  Hanslick,  Goldschmidt  and  many  others  who 
afterward  became  famous. 

He  progressed  rapidly,  and  was  soon  known  as  one  of  Tomascheck" s 
best  pupils.  He  studied  the  piano,  harmou}-  and  composition,  and  often 
was  called  upon  to  pla\'  before  such  distinguished  visitors  as  Liszt, 
Berlioz  and  Thalberg.  He  composed  many  piano  pieces  and  an  overture 
for  orchestra,  which  was  heard  at  a  public  concert  in  Prague  and  won 
favor.  After  a  sojourn  at  Leipzig,  where  he  enjoyed  the  friendship  of 
Moscheles,  Mr.  Wels  went  to  Poland,  where  he  became  court  pianist, 
and,  after  several  years'  service  in  this  capacity,  he  was  induced  to  take 
up  his  residence  in  Dresden.  Here  he  speedily  won  recognition  as  one  of 
the  most  accomplished  teachers  in  that  musical  community. 

At  a  musical  gathering  in  one  of  the  hotels,  where  Liszt  stayed  for  a 
few  days,  the  whole  distinguished  company  expressed  the  desire  of  hear- 
ing the  great  Liszt.  There  being  only  the  common  hotel  piano  available, 
the  company,  Liszt  included,  went,  at  Mr.  Wels'  suggestion,  over  to  his 
bachelor  apartments,  where  h.c  i:)!aced  his  splendid  grand  piano  at  Liszt's 
dispo.sal.  Liszt  picked  up  o::e  of  Wels'  manuscripts,  .a  march  triumphal 
for  four  hands,  and  played  it  with  the  author  at  sight,  Liszt  reading  his 
part  so  rapidly  that  Wels  had  to  coll  Liszt's  attention  to  the  prescribed 
movement,  "Andante  Marziale  "  and  not  "  Presto."  Liszt  took  the  sug- 
gestion good-naturedly.  He  afterward  regaled  the  company  with  such 
playing  as  Liszt  only  was  equal  to.     Wels  also  made  the  acquaintance  of 

14S 


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Richard  Wagner  there,  he  being  leader  of  the  Royal  Opera,  where  his 
Rioizi  diiid  Ta7inhdHser  -were  just  jfighting  their  waj'  into  public  recogni- 
tion. 

In  1849  Mr.  Wels  decided  to  come  to  America.  Arriving  in  New 
York,  he  found  himself  in  competition  with  Maurice  Strakosch,  who  was 
at  that  time  giving  concerts  and  appearing  as  a  pianist.  His  contempor- 
aries were:  Timm,  Scharfenberg,  Wollenhaupt,  Bristow,  Eisfeld,  Richard 
Hoffman  and  a  few  others.  He  settled  down  to  teach  in  New  York, 
appearing  occasionally  at  concerts,  and  making  short  trips  through  the 
country  as  concert  pianist.  He  was  very  successful  as  a  teacher;  his 
pupils  were  legion,  some  of  whom  are  known  now  as  men  of  high  stand- 
ing, as  for  instance  S.  B.  Whitney  of  Boston;  lyouis  Bonn,  of  New  York, 
and  others.  He  was  intimate  with  the  lamented  H.  A.  Wollenhaupt, 
whose  sister  became  his  beloved  wife,  and  shares  still  with  him  his  joj's 
and  sorrows. 

L.  M.  Gottschalk  was  an  intimate  friend  of  Mr.  Wels,  and  the  two 
were  frequentl}-  heard  together  in  concert,  plaj-ing  four  hand  pieces. 
Mr.  Wels  also  appeared  as  concert  organist,  and  for  the  past  thirty-five 
years  he  has  been  engaged  as  organist  by  some  of  the  most  prominent 
churches  in  New  York.  He  has  written  compositions  of  every  kind, 
piano  solos,  songs,  church  music  and  orchestral  suites.  He  is  still  young 
in  mind  and  hale  and  hearty  in  physique.  His  career  has  been  a  most 
u.seful  and  honorable  one. 

CONSTANTIN   STERNBERG. 

Among  the  admirable  pianists  of  America  Constantin  Sternberg  holds 
an  honorable  and  prominent  position.  A  well  known  critic  recentlj- 
referred  to  him  as  "A  musician  by  God's  grace,  and  a  gentleman,  in  the 
word's  noblest  meaning."  This  is  enthusiastic  praise,  certainly;  but  the 
musical  world  has  had  abundant  evidence  of  Mr.  Sternberg's  talents  as  a 
musician,  while  of  his  qualities  as  a  man,  his  friends  and  those  who  know 
him  best  .speak  in  terms  of  eulogy  scarcelj-  inferior  to  the  above-quoted 
phrase.  He  was  born  in  St.  Petersburg,  Russia,  of  noble  parentage,  in 
the  3'ear  1852.  Though  a  Russian  by  birth,  he  is  a  cosmopolitan  in 
culture  and  a  German  in  musical  education.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he  was 
taken  to  Weimar,  where  Liszt  was  residing,  and  the  great  master,  taking 
notice  of  the  boy,  advised  that  he  be  sent  to  the  conservatory  at  Leipzig. 
At  that  grand  school  he  studied  with  such  famous  instructors  as  Reinecke, 
Richter,  Moschelles  and  Hauptmann.  In  1867,  when  not  quite  fifteen 
years  of  age,  he  obtained  his  first  engagement  as  a  conductor  of  light 
opera  at  the  Vaudeville  Theatre  at  Leipzig,  and  for  six  years  he  followed 


this  branch  of  the  profession  in  various  cities  of  France  and  Germany. 
He  afterward  graduated  to  grand  opera,  of  wliich  he  became  the  con- 
ductor at  the  opera  house  at  StreHtz.  When  lie  was  about  twenty-one 
years  old,  Mr.  Stern1)crg  attracted  the  attention  of  KuUak,  who  said  to 
him:  "  You  must  learn  to  play  the  piano."  Any  excuses  on  the  .score  of 
poverty  were  of  no  avail,  and  for  several  ^-ears  the  j-oung  man  remained 
with  Kullak  at  the  expense  of  that  great  ma.ster,  who  has  now  gone  from 
the  scene  of  his  labors  for  art.  To  repay  this  generosity  and  interest  Stern- 
berg studied  and  practiced  for  thirteen  hours  a  day,  and  the  result  was 
an  attack  of  nervous  prostration,  from  which  he  was  rescued  by  a  strong 
constitution.  It  was  at  KuUak's  suggestion  that  Sternberg  went  to  visit 
Liszt,  who,  just  about  starting  for  Rome,  took  the  brilliant  }-oung  pianist 
with  him.  Ho  soon  returned  to  Germany,  concertized  a  while  and  was 
then  appointed  court  pianist  to  the  grand  duke  of  Mecklenburg,  with 
whom  he  lived  on  terms  of  friendliest  intcrcouse,  and  from  whom  he 
received  the  order  of  the  Crown  of  Wcndland.  Sternberg  remained  two 
years  under  the  duke's  patronage.  He  then  went  upon  a  prolonged 
concert  tour,  which  included  all  the  principal  cities  of  Europe,  and  even 
extended  into  Asia  and  Africa.  In  1880  he  returned  to  Germany,  and 
among  other  recognitions  of  his  merit  was  a  summons  to  appear  before 
King  William  I,  b\'  whom  he  was  treated  with  marked  consideration  and 
kindness.  Shortly  afterward  he  received  an  offer  to  visit  America  and, 
accepting  the  invitation,  he  filled  engagements  for  152  concerts  and  met 
with  great  success  wherever  he  appeared.  After  his  first  American  tour 
he  returned  to  Germany  to  be  married,  and  then  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sternberg 
departed  for  America,  having  concluded  to  make  their  home  here.  After  a 
concert  tour  with  Mme.  Minnie  Hauk,  Mr.  Sternberg  received  a  flattering 
offer  to  locate  at  Atlanta,  Ga. ,  and  take  charge  of  the  music  of  the  Female 
College  at  that  cit5\  His  admirable  work  in  this  important  position  has 
been  varied  by  occasional  concert  tours,  and  Mr.  Sternberg's  career  in 
America  has  been  both  gratifying  to  the  musical  public  and  satisfactory 
to  himself.  Mr.  Sternberg  has  composed  a  variety  of  works,  and  he  has 
written  agreeably  on  many  subjects  relative  to  musical  art.  As  a  pianist 
he  is  not  a  mere  technician,  although  his  execution  is  brilliant;  but  he 
ever  makes  the  executant  secondary  to  ihe  scholar  and  thinker. 

Mi.ss  Neallv  Stevens. 

One  of  the  youngest  and  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the  American 
pianists  of  the  present  is  Miss  Xeally  Stevens,  whose  brilliant  work  in 
various  important  concerts  during  the  past  few  years  has  endeared  her 
to  audiences  in  all  parts  of  the  country.     Recently  at  several  meetings  of 

152 


Neally  Stevens. 


IS3 


the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  as  well  as  at  the  reunions  of 
several  state  associations  Miss  Stevens'  work  has  been  praised  in  glowing 
terms  by  audiences  of  the  most  exacting  nature  —  those  made  up  of  pro- 
fessional musicians.  Miss  Stevens  is  an  American  girl  who  has  accom- 
plished much  for  the  art  of  music  in  her  native  country.  She  enjoyed 
the  advantages  of  study  with  the  best  masters  of  Europe.  The  Abbe 
Liszt,  Dr.  Von  Bulow,  Moszkowski,  Scharwenka  and  many  other  celebri- 
ties may  be  accounted  among  those  who  have  given  her  their  guidance. 
While  studying  in  Germany  she  made  frequent  appearances  in  concert,  and 
her  work  was  warmly  praised  by  the  late  Abbe  Liszt  and  by  other  famous 
connoisseurs.  Her  repertoire  is  a  most  extensive  one,  and  she  has  a  par- 
ticular pe7icha7it  for  the  works  of  American  composers,  frequently  devot- 
ing entire  programmes  to  their  interpretation.  Miss  Stevens  has  played 
in  most  of  the  leading  cities  of  the  Union.  She  succeeded  in  capturing 
the  favor  of  critical  Boston.  In  that  city  the  critic  of  the  Home  Journal, 
said:  ' '  Her  technique  was  shown  to  have  all  the  mastery  and  charm  of  the 
bravura  pianist,  while  in  contrasting  attendance  upon  this  tae  perfect 
refinement,  clearness,  pliancy  and  finish  were  the  unmistakable  traits  of 
the  real  artist.  Her  phrasing  was  that  of  a  thoroughly  sincere,  able  and 
discriminating  musician,  while  the  tone  she  produced  from  the  i:i:.trument 
was  unusually  musical  and  refined."  On  the  occasion  of  her  appearance 
in  New  York,  the  Musical  Courier's  well  known  critic  wrote  of  her: 
"Miss  Stevens  has  a  refined  musical  nature  and  a  very  brilliant 
technique.  She  gave  several  difficult  bravura  passages  in  a  manner  that 
deserves  the  highest  praise.  Her  scale  work  was  excellent,  and  scarcely 
a  blur  was  noticed  throughout.  Her  octave  passages  and  chords  were 
given  in  a  very  broad  manner,  and  showed  plenty  of  reserve  power.  She 
aroused  her  audience  to  great  enthusiasm,  and  was  often  recalled." 

Mi.ss  Stevens  is  but  a  trifle  over  twenty  years  of  age,  and  she  has 
made  most  rapid  progress  in  her  art.  Her  gifts  include  a  charming  man- 
ner and  appearance,  and  her  playing  is  characterized  by  warmth  of  expres- 
sion, facility  of  technique  and  intelligence  that  readih'  grasps  the  intent 
and  purpose  of  a  composer's  thoughts.  She  is  devoting  herself  wholly  to 
concert  playing,  and  thus  far  has  been  so  successful  that  a  brilliant  future 
for  her  may  be  anticipated. 

Armin  W.  Doerner. 

This  well  known  pianist  and  teacher,  who  has  been  connected  with 
the  Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  .since  its  foundation,  was  born  in  Mari- 
etta, O.,  June  22,  1852.  Hecame  to  Cincinnati  in  1859  with  his  parents, 
and  at  the  age  of  ten  years  he  received  his  first  instruction  on  the  piano, 


t^^Ln^i^v^*^^     ^      ■^^^ 


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155 


from  his  father,  who  could  only  teach  him  the  elements,  and  had  not  the 
slightest  intention  of  making  him  a  musician.  An  inborn  love  of  music 
prompted  him,  however,  to  pursue  his  studies  with  indefatigable  zeal,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  had  already  decided  to  follow  music  as  a  pro- 
fession. In  April,  1871,  he  went  to  Berlin  and  entered  the  New  Academy 
of  Music,  under  Theodore  KuUak,  taking  at  the  same  time  private 
lessons  from  the  celebrated  Franz  Bendel,  and  studying  theory  and 
composition  with  Carl  Weitzmann.  In  the  following  j-ear  he  entered  the 
conservatory  of  Stuttgart,  where  he  remained  two  years  and  a  half,  under 
the  instruction  of  such  eminent  professors  as  Pruckner,  Techert  and 
Faisst.  Subsequently  he  studied  for  several  months  in  Paris,  under 
Edward  Wolff,  a  pupil  of  Chopin.  After  undergoing  this  complete  and 
thorough  course  of  training  from  the  most  famous  foreign  masters,  he 
returned  to  Cincinnati,  and  in  1879,  when  the  College  of  Music  was 
established,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  piano,  in  which  capacity  he  has 
labored  conscientiously  and  with  extraordinary  success.  He  is  a  piano 
instructor  in  whom  all  the  requisites  of  a  complete  intellectual  and 
mechanical  mastery  of  the  piano  are  blended.  His  book  of  Teclmical 
Exercises  is  clear,  concise  and  methodical  in  treatment,  and  is  well 
adapted  to  the  daily  use  of  the  advanced  artist  and  the  mere  tyro.  Aside 
from  his  well-merited  success  as  a  teacher,  Mr.  Doerner  has  achieved  a 
national  reputation  as  a  superior  executant,  and  in  connection  wath  Prof. 
Andres,  of  Cincinnati,  gained  much  applause  for  superior  finish  of  duet 
playing  upon  two  pianos.  This  was  before  the  meeting  of  the  National 
Association  of  Music  Teachers,  at  Philadelphia,  in  July,  1889.  In  this 
connection  it  may  be  of  interest  to  state  that  some  of  the  highest  musical 
authorities,  and  among  them  the  talented  musical  critic  of  the  New  York 
Tribune,  say  that  their  ensemble  plaj-ing,  in  the  higher  qualitj'  of  unity 
of  thought  and  harmony  of  purpose,  in  the  nice  adjustment  of  individual 
characteristics  and  the  unselfish  subordination  of  everything  to  the  expo- 
sition of  the  contents  of  the  composition,  has  no  superior.  Having  already 
accomplished  so  much  and  being  yet  in  the  prime  of  life  and  usefulness, 
we  can  safely  predict  that  Mr.  Doerner  will  yet  add  many  interesting 
and  brilliant  pages  to  the  historj^  of  music  in  America. 

JoHx  Ernst  Perauo 
Was  born  at  the  pretty,  straggling  little  town  of  Wiesbaden,  in  Ger- 
many, on  Nov.  14,  1845,  the  son  of  Michael  Perabo,  whose  entire  family 
of  nine  children  entered  the  musical  ranks.  His  father  began  to  teach 
him  music  when  he  was  only  five  years  old.  In  1852  they  came  to  Amer- 
ica, and  the  famil}-  settled  in  New  York,  where  they  remained  for  two 

156 


years.  During  the  second  year  the  lad  appeared  before  the  public  for  the 
first  time  in  a  concert  given  by  Professor  Heinrich,  and  a  great  future  was 
predicted  for  him.  His  parents  then  removed  to  Dover,  N.  H.,  and  after- 
ward to  Boston,  where  they  made  their  home  for  a  year,  and  during  this 
time  the  boy  received  instruction  on  the  violin  from  William  Schultze,  of 
the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  and  played  at  a  concert,  under  Carl 
Zerrahn's  direction,  at  the  Music  hall.  From  there  the  family  went  to 
Chicago  and  to  Washington,  where 'they  saw  President  Buchanan,  and 
sought  assistance  from  the  government  in  order  to  help  the  lad  to  prose- 
cute his  musical  studies  in  the  old  world.  They  were  unsuccessful,  not 
unnaturally,  but  finally  induced  William  Scharfenberg  and  a  committee 
in  New  York  to  send  John  Ernst  to  Germany  to  receive  a  more  extended 
musical  culture.  He  left  for  Hamburg  in  1858  and  spent  four  years  in 
"the  town  of  the  three  turrets,"  but,  owing  to  the  delicate  state  of  his 
health,  did  not  study  music  to  any  extent.  He  entered  the  conservatory 
at  Leipzig  in  1862.  His  teachers  were  Professors  Moscheles  and  E.  F. 
Wenzel,  on  the  piano;  Dr.  Robert  Papperitz,  Dr.  Moritz  Hauptmann 
and  Dr.  E.  F.  Richter,  in  harmony,  and  at  a  later  period  he  had  instruc- 
tion in  composition  from  Carl  Reinecke.  He  won  some  distinction,  taking 
the  Helbig  prize,  and  at  the  public  examination  of  the  conservatory  in 
1865,  playing  the  second  and  third  movements  of  Norbert  Burgmiiller's 
concerto  in  F  sharp  minor,  then  just  published.  When  he  returned  to  the 
country  in  1865  the  committee  told  him  that  they  expected  no  pecuniary 
reward  for  their  services,  and  that  he  was  absolutely  free. 

Mr.  Perabo  went  to  Sandusky,  O.,  where  his  parents  lived,  and  gave 
several  successful  concerts  in  that  city  and  at  Lafaj'ette,  Chicago  and 
Cleveland.  In  1866  he  returned  to  New  York  and  played  at  a  number  of 
concerts,  meeting  with  such  favor  that  he  started  a  series  of  Schubert  mat- 
inees, at  which  he  rendered  all  the  sonatas  of  that  composer.  He  has 
has  played  every  winter  at  the  Harvard  concerts  bringing  out  many 
works  previously  unknown.  He  has  published  four  collections  of  piano 
pieces  for  pupils,  and  transcriptions  of  Lowe's  ballads.  The  Dance  of  the 
Dead,  Mclck  at  the  Spring,  and  The  Secluded.  Besides  these,  he  has  made 
concert  arrangements  of  the  first  movement  of  Rubinstein's  Ocean  Sym- 
phony for  two  hands,  the  same  author's  overture  Dimitri  Donskoi,  the  first 
movement  of  Schubert's  unfinished  SN-mphoii}-,  and  transcriptions  from 
Beethoven's  Fidelia  and  Sullivan's  lolanthe.  He  has  also  composed  several 
short  pieces  for  the  piano,  among  them  Moment  Musicale,  Waltz,  Intro- 
duction and  Andante,  Souvenir,  Studies,  Scherzo,  Prelude,  Pensce  Fugitive 
and  After  School.  He  is  now  living  in  Boston,  engaged  in  the  work  of  a 
teacher. 

15^ 


159 


Carl  Faelten. 
Carl  Faelten,  one  of  the  principal  teachers  in  the  New  England  Con- 
sen'^atorj',  and  an  artist  distinguished  in  the  world  of  music,  was  bom  in 
Ilmenau,  Thuringia,  Dec.  21,  1846.  While  a  school  boy  he  evinced  a 
strong  passion  for  music,  and  w^as  fortunate  enough  to  secure  competent 
preliminar}^  instruction  in  piano  and  in  theory.  Possessed  of  an  ambition 
to  become  a  good  pianist,  and  as  his  parents  were  unable  to  provide  the 
means  to  enable  him  to  gratify  this  ambition,  he  had  recourse  to  his  own 
industry  and  exertions.  He  entered  one  of  those  orchestra  .schools  in  Ger- 
many, known  as  the  Stadtpfcifcreicn,  at  Arnstadt,  where  he  remained  from 
his  fifteenth  to  his  nineteenth  year,  and  where,  while  pursuing  ever>'  advan- 
tage open  to  him  for  study  and  improvement,  he  was  compelled  to  do  the 
most  laborious  and  unsatisfactory  work  of  the  musical  profession,  playing 
dance  music,  etc. ;  but  this  in  itself  was  an  advantage  to  him  in  after  5-ears, 
as  it  gave  him  practical  acquaintance  with  mam*  orchestral  instruments,  and 
he  became  especiallj^  proficient  in  the  violin  and  clarionet.  After  playing 
the  violin  in  orchestras  in  German}'  and  Switzerland,  he  became  connected 
with  a  small  orchestra  in  Frankfort-on-the-Main.  Here  he  was  able  to 
resume  his  piano  stud}-,  which  he  had  been  compelled  to  neglect  for  nearly 
seven  }-ears,  and  was  fortunate  enough  to  attract  the  attention  and  secure 
the  fr:e::dly  advice  of  several  prominent  musicians,  among  them  Herr 
Julius  Schoch,  a  pupil  of  Aloys  Schmidt.  Thus  encouraged,  he  studied 
and  practiced  with  great  energy,  and  was  making  rapid  progress,  when 
another  untoward  event  interfered  with  his  ambition.  The  inexorable 
German  militar}-  law  took  him  away  to  ser\'ice  as  a  soldier  of  the  line  dur- 
ing the  Franco- Prussian  war,  and  when  he  returned  to  Frankfort,  he  found 
his  fingers  so  stiff  from  handling  the  musket,  that  he  had  to  begin  over  again 
his  training  for  the  piano.  However,  difficulties  ser\'ed  but  to  increase 
his  ardor,  and  so  diligently  and  successfully  did  he  now  pursue  his  mu- 
sical education  that  after  1874  he  appeared  successfully  in  symphony  con- 
certs with  other  eminent  artists,  and  gave  recitals  of  his  own,  which  soon 
gave  him  a  reputation  in  critical  circles.  He  appeared  at  Berlin,  Bremen, 
Cassel,  Haag,  Schwerin,  Wiesbaden,  Vienna,  London  and  other  European 
cities,  with  increasing  fame,  and  also  devoted  much  time  to  teaching,  with 
such  skill  and  success  and  evidence  of  a  natural  aptitude  for  the  work 
that  he  attracted  the  attention  of  Joachim  Raff,  whose  friendship  he  had 
formed  at  Wiesbaden.  In  1877  Raff  organized  the  conservator}- at  Frank- 
fort-on-the-Main, and  selected  Faelten  to  be  associated  with  ]Mme.  Clara 
Schumann,  as  the  best  available  talent  combining  eminence  as  a  pianist 
with  skill  as  a  teacher.  Here  h?  had  special  charge  of  the  training  of 
teachers,    and  delivered  annually  numerous  lectures  on  theoretical  and 


practical  requirements  of  teachers  in  piano  pla3nng.  His  piano  classes 
were  very  successful,  and  lie  graduated  a  great  many  finely  trained  stu- 
dents. On  Raffs  sudden  death,  a  little  over  three  years  later,  Faelten 
determined  to  come  to  America,  and  in  1882  settled  in  Baltimore  under 
engagement  with  the  Peabodj^  Institute.  Here  he  labored  successfully 
for  a  few  years,  when  his  services  were  secured  by  Dr.  Touijee  for  the  New 
England  Conservatory  of  Music,  where  he  has  found  the  work  so  con- 
genial, and  all  the  surroundings  so  entirely  to  his  satisfaction,  that  he  has 
determined  to  devote  the  balance  of  his  life  to  musical  work  there.  His 
success  has  been  remarkable,  and  its  results  justif}^  the  wisdom  and  dis- 
cernment of  both  Raff  and  Dr.  Tourjee  in  their  appreciation  of  the  quali- 
ties which  make  him  so  valuable  an  acquisition  to  a  musical  conservatory. 
He  has  become  widely  known  outside  the  conservatory  —  at  New  York, 
Boston,  Baltimore  and  elsewhere,  in  connection  with  the  symphony  con- 
certs —  and  wherever  he  has  appeared  his  talents  as  a  pianist  and  musician 
of  the  first  rank  have  been  universally  recognized  and  applauded  in  the 
most  critical  circles. 

Otto  Bendix. 

The  name  of  this  eminent  pianist  and  teacher  has  been  widely  famil- 
iarized through  the  United  States,  not  only  through  his  prominent 
connection  as  an  instructor  during  the  last  nine  j^ears  at  the  New  England 
Conservatory  of  Music,  Boston,  but  also  in  connection  with  many 
important  musical  events  in  the  leading  cities  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Bendix  is  a  native  of  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  where  his  boyhood 
was  passed.  His  musical  talent  is  inherited,  his  father,  Emanuel 
Bendix,  a  prosperous  merchant  of  the  Danish  capital,  having  been  an 
amateur  musician,  noted  for  his  skill  as  a  flutist.  At  the  house  of  the 
elder  Bendix,  the  Royal  Orchestra  was  accustomed  to  frequently  meet  for 
practice,  and  thus  the  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  up  in  a  musical  atmos- 
phere. As  early  as  at  nine  years  of  age,  young  Bendix  had  attained  such 
proficienc}^  at  the  piano  that  he  was  allowed  to  play  with  the  orchestra, 
and  the  bent  of  his  genius  being  evident,  he  was  allowed  by  his  father  to 
enter  upon  a  course  of  study  with  a  view  to  a  musical  career. 

He  studied  first  under  Antoine  Ree,  at  Copenhagen,  and  afterward 
under  the  eminent  Danish  composer,  N.  W.  Gade,  director  of  the  Copen- 
hagen Conser\-atory,  where  his  progress  was  so  rapid  and  his  proficienc)'' 
so  remarkable  that  it  was  decided  to  open  up  to  him  the  broader  advan- 
tages of  the  Berlin  schools.  At  Berlin  he  remained  for  two  years  a  pupil 
of  the  distinguished  Kullak,  and  had  the  additional  benefit  of  a  warm 
personal  intimacj'  with  this  famous  composer  and  instructor.  On  com- 
pleting his  studies  with  Kullak,  he  gave  successfully  a  series  of  concerts 


in  Berlin,  under  the  patronage  of  that  master.  Thence  he  went  to  Weimar, 
and  for  three  consecutive  summers  had  the  inestimable  advantage  of  the 
advice  and  instruction  of  the  great  Liszt.  At  Weimar  he  gave  numerous 
matinees  of  the  same  class  as  those  given  bj-  Von  Bulow  and  Rubinstein, 
and  these  entertainments  were  patronized  bj'  the  grand  duke  of  Weimar, 
who  in  this  and  other  waj'S  manifested  a  keen  interest  in  the  art  career  of 
the  5'oung  performer.  Having  thus  completed  the  preparation  for  his 
musical  career  under  such  distinguished  auspices,  he  returned  to  Copen- 
hagen and  was  at  once  installed  as  a  foremost  teacher  in  the  conser\-ator\-, 
where  he  soon  acquired  a  prominent  reputation,  both  as  executant  and 
teacher.  In  addition  to  his  work  as  instructor  of  the  piano  at  the  con- 
servator}-, he  plaj'ed  the  first  oboe  in  the  Roj-al  Theatre  orchestra  during 
the  thirteen  years  of  his  connection  with  the  Copenhagen  institution. 
Having  determined  to  remove  to  America,  he  made  his  first  appearance  in 
Boston,  in  1880,  and  gave  an  introductory  recital  at  Chickering's  piano 
rooms,  which  was  attended  by  the  leading  musicians  and  critics  of  the 
city,  whose  verdict  upon  his  playing  was  extremely  favorable.  He 
shortly  after  accepted  a  position  as  piano  teacher  in  the  New  England 
Conservator}^  where  he  still  remains  among  the  most  efficient  as  well  as 
the  most  popular  of  the  teachers  of  this  institution.  During  this  time  he 
has  frequently  appeared  as  a  virtuoso  in  our  principal  capitals,  and  has 
been  everj^ where  recognized  as  undoubtedlj^  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
instrumentalists  of  the  modern  school.  He  combines  remarkable 
technique  with  a  truthfulness  and  sympathy  of  interpretation  which 
enable  him  to  render  the  compositions  of  the  great  masters  in  a  manner 
that  invariably  elicits  the  approval  of  every  artistic  listener.  Combined 
with  this  faculty  he  possesses  a  rare  adaptability  to  the  work  of  imparting 
musical  knowledge  to  others,  and  this  has  rendered  his  ser\aces  in  con- 
nection with  the  conservatory  of  the  greatest  value,  both  to  that  institu- 
tion and  to  the  students  committed  to  his  care.  Mr.  Bendix  is  one  of  the 
most  thoroughly  Americanized  of  our  naturalized  musical  citizens,  and 
desires  to  be  considered  nothing  if  not  American.  The  nature  and  extent 
of  his  other  labors  preclude  any  great  eflfort  at  composition,  although  he 
has  written  an  octette  for  piano  and  wind  instruments  that  has  been 
highly  admired,  and  other  works  which  indicate  ability  as  a  composer. 

J.  D.  Buckingham. 

One  of  our  most  successful  pianoforte  teachers,  judging  the  quality 
of  the  instructor  by  the  fruits  of  his  instruction,  is  Mr.  J.  D.  Buckingham, 
for  ten  years  past  connected  with  the  faculty  of  the  New  England 
Conser\'atory  of  Music.     Mr.  Buckingham  was  bom  in  Huntingdon,  Pa., 


May  17,  1855,  his  father  being  the  Rev.  J.  D.  Buckingham,  a  minister 
prominent  in  the  Methodist  denomination.  Very  early  in  hfe  he  evinced 
not  only  a  strong  predilection  for  music,  but  marked  talent  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  could  play  with  tolerable  proficiency  when,  at  the  age  of  twelve, 
he  was  placed  under  a  teacher  at  York,  Pa.  Subsequently  he  studied 
under  various  master.s  until  the  fall  of  1873,  when  he  entered  the  New 
England  Conser\-atory  as  a  student.  He  there  continued  his  musical 
studies  until  1879,  taking  instructions  in  pianoforte  from  J.  C.  D.  Parker; 
organ,  George  E.  Whiting;  harmonj-  and  theory,  S.  A.  Emory;  counter- 
point, fugue  and  general  composition,  history  of  music  and  aesthetics,  J. 
K.  Paine,  of  Harvard  College.  In  1879  he  graduated,  and  received  a  full 
diploma  from  Boston  Universit}',  C.  M.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Bucking- 
ham's work  has  been  wholly  devoted  to  the  New  England  Conservatory 
as  pianoforte  instructor,  though  at  times  making  public  appearances  at 
His  lessons  —  vocal  and  piano  —  are  sought  by  artists.  His  productions 
are  performed  everywhere,  and  by  such  pianists  as  Wm.  H.  Sherwood, 
Calixa  Lavallee,  Mme.  Pave-King,  Mme.  Fannie  Bloomfield,  Mrs.  Clara 
E.  Thoms,  Miss  Neally  Stevens,  Mme.  Dory  Burmeister  Peterocn,  Con- 
stantin  vSternl:)erg,  Emil  Liebling,  etc.,  and  b}-  such  vocalists  as  Miss  Zelie 
de  Lussan,  Miss  EflBe  Stewart,  Miss  Dora  Henninges,  Miss  Grace  Hiltz, 
Dr.  Carl  Martin,  Mr.  Chas.  Knorr,  etc. 

As  a  composer  he  is  one  of  the  few  who  possess  a  genuine  gift  for  the 
invention  of  melod}-,  and  who  are  also  invariably  musicianly  in  whatso- 
ever they  may  indite.  His  compositions  combine  the  artistic  and  the 
popular  without  ever  descending  to  trivialitj'.  In  1888-89  Mr.  Smith 
was  president  of  the  Ohio  Music  Teachers'  Association,  and  the  meeting 
held  under  his  regime  was  one  of  the  most  successful  in  the  historj'  of  the 
association.  During  the  present  year  (1889)  Mr.  Smith,  with  Calixa 
Lavallee  and  Dr.  Ziegfeld,  comprise  the  programme  committee  of  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  Mr.  Smith  has  also  appeared 
before  the  State  and  the  National  Associations  as  an  essaj'ist,  in  which 
field  he  has  been  notably  successful.  His  article  upon  the  subject  of 
"  American  Composers  "  has  been  copied  far  and  near.  Mr.  Smith  has  pub- 
lished over  a  hundred  compositions,  vocal  and  instrumental,  and  it  is  a 
striking  fact  that  not  only  are  his  works  played  and  sung  by  leading 
artists  everywhere,  l)ut  his  name  as  a  composer  is  also  to  be  found  upon 
the  programmes  of  the  various  state  music  associations,  as  well  as  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  Mr.  Smith  has  had  a  brilliant 
career  which  is  as  j-et  in  its  early  stages,  and  still  greater  fame  yet  awaits 
him  in  the  vocation  he  has  chosen. 


l(U 


Marcus  I.  Epstein  and  A.  I.  Epstein. 

Two  of  the  representative  musicians  of  St.  Louis  are  the  Messrs.  A. 
I.  and  Marcus  I.  Ep3tein,  who  have  a  national  reputation  as  players  of 
piano  duets.  The  Epsteins  are  an  exceptionallj'  talented  musical  family, 
another  brother  being  equally  distinguished  as  a  pianist.  Mr.  Abe 
Epstein  was  born  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  in  January,  1857.  He  has  studied  with 
Lovitzsky,  Prevost  and  other  masters,  both  here  and  in  Europe.  Since 
he  has  resided  in  St.  Louis,  Mr.  Epstein  has  devoted  himself  mainly  to 
teaching  the  piano,  organ  and  composition,  but  he  has  also  f.^und  time 
for  frequent  concert  tours,  which  have  placed  him  prominenth"  before  the 
public  as  a  virtuoso  of  pronounced  talents.  He  has  written  a  co  icerto 
for  piano  and  orchestra,  which  has  been  highlj-  praised,  and  he  has  also 
composed  a  great  deal  of  church  music.  He  has  been  pronounced  by 
Mariana  Brandt  and  other  famous  vocalists  one  of  the  very  best  of  accom- 
panists. Marquis  I.  Epstein,  who  has  always  been  closely  associated 
with  his  brother  in  musical  studies  and  pursuits,  is  also  a  native  of 
Mobile,  Ala.,  where  he  was  born  in  1855.  He  pursued  his  studies  with 
Reinecke,  Richter  and  Jaddasohn  from  1871  to  1874,  and  with  each  of 
these  famous  instructors  he  was  accounted  a  most  talented  student.  He 
has  been  associated  with  his  brother,  Abe  I.  Epstein,  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  the  Epstein  brothers  are  conceded  to  have  done  a  great  deal 
of  excellent  work  for  music  in  St.  Louis.  He  has  been  engaged  in  teach- 
ing the  piano  and  playing  in  concert.  He  has  also  composed  man}-  works 
of  considerable  importance,  including  a  polonaise  in  C  sharp  minor,  a 
sonata  for  violin  and  piano,  a  polka  caprice,  and  manj-  minor  piano  pieces, 
transcriptions.  Together  with  his  brother,  he  has  acted  as  impresario  for 
the  bringing  out  of  several  popular  operas  in  St.  Louis,  enterprises  which 
have  been  brought  to  a  successful  consummation.  During  the  meeting  of 
the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association  at  Philadelphia,  in  1888,  the 
Messrs.  Epstein  attended,  and  their  duet  plaj-ing  made  a  decidedly  favor- 
able impression.  At  that  time  a  well  known  critic  paid  them  the  follow- 
ing tribute  in  an  eastern  musical  paper: 

"The  famous  Epstein  brothers,  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  who  have  the 
reputation  of  being  the  finest  duet  plaj-ers  in  this  country,  were  at  Phila- 
delphia during  the  convention,  and  one  morning,  accompanied  by  a  chosen 
few,  they  repaired  to  one  of  the  largest  and  finest  warerooms,  and  held 
their  impromptu  audience  entranced  for  a  brief  hour  by  their  remarkable 
talents.  They  gave  the  Liszt  concerto,  Mr.  A.  Epstein  playing  the  solo 
part  with  astonishing  power  and  brilliancy,  and  showing  a  command  of 
technique  that  aroused  enthusiastic  praise  from  his  hearers.  His  no  less 
talented  brother  gave  the  orchestral  part  brilliantly. 

166 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Concert  and  Operatic  Singers. 

I |N  no  form  of  musical  art  have  the  American  people  distinguished 
themselves  more  than  in  that  of  song.  The  emotional  tempera- 
ment of  the  American  woman,   her  mental  acuteness  and  her 

■capacity  for  hard  work  combine  to  make  her  the  most  ductile  musical 
J  t    material  furnished  by  any  nation.     While  the  climate  of  our  countrj' 

might  not  at  first  sight  be  thought  favorable  to  the  voice  as  an  organ, 
the  record  shows  a  vast  number  of  successful  public  singers  of  American 
birth.  These  people,  especially  in  recent  years,  make  successful  careers 
abroad,  and  even  take  the  stage  and  hold  it  against  the  rich  voices  and 
attractive  personalities  of  Italian  women.  In  fact,  there  have  been  a 
large  number  of  Americans  who  have  had  brilliant  successes  in  Italy 
within  recent  years,  most  notable  among  them  being,  perhaps,  that  richly 
endowed  nature,  Mme.  Lena  Hastreiter,  who  in  the  season  of  1888-89 
produced  an  enormous  effect  in  Rome  itself,  with  her  impersonation  of 
"Orpheus"  in  Gluck's  opera.  Another  example  of  similar  importance 
is  that  of  Mme.  Nordica,  who  while  not  singing  in  Italy  itself  for  anj^  con- 
siderable time,  holds  high  rank  among  the  present  lights  of  Italian  opera, 
having  filled  long  and  profitable  engagements  in  London,  St.  Petersburg 
and  in  several  German  cities.  That  American  artists  should  find  a  con- 
genial home  in  London,  that  commercial  capital  of  the  world,  is  not 
surprising,  for  there  their  native  tongue  is  still  the  medium  of  intercom- 
munication, and  they  are  to  all  intents  at  home  with  distant  relatives. 
The  success  of  American  singers  abroad  is  not  a  new  thing.  As  long  ago 
as  i860  or  thereabouts  that  accomplished  singer  Adelaide  Phillipps  made 
a  great  success  all  over  Europe  in  the  principal  contralto  roles  of  Italian 
opera.  In  England  her  success  was  almost  equally  great  in  oratorio, 
although  in  this  province  she  came  in  competition  with  many  thoroughly 
equipped  artists  of  English  schooling. 

It  must  be  conceded  that  as  yet  American  singers  suffer  from  belong- 


ing  to  no  school  in  particular.  They  are  not  the  best  Italian  singers, 
since  almost  invariably  they  miss  the  characteristic  grace  of  Italian 
recitative,  although  their  intelligence  and  general  aptitude  enable  them 
to  deliver  this  important  part  of  opera  with  effect,  if  not  with  all  the  soft- 
ness of  outline  and  responsive  rise  and  fall  of  intensity  natural  to  those 
Italian-born.  In  later  times  nearly  all  American  singers  have  made  a 
considerable  part  of  their  studies  in  Paris  with  one  or  the  other  of  those 
great  teachers,  Alrae.  Anna  LaGrange  or  Mme.  Marchesi.  In  this  way  the 
characteristic  sentimentalit}'  of  Italian  training  in  singing  is  not 
acquired,  while  the  French  fondness  for  mczza  voce  effects  is  equally  far 
removed  from  the  American  appetite  for  heartiness  and  passion.  Among 
the  best  results  attained  as  j-et  bj-  studies  in  Paris,  perhaps  tho.se  reached 
bj-  Miss  Clara  Hunger,  of  Boston,  are  as  worthj^  of  mention  as  any. 
Miss  Munger  studied  mostly  with  Delle  Sadie,  who  performs  nearl)-  a 
11  the  work  of  voice  training  in  the  medium  register.  This  gives  a  rich 
and  evenly  developed  organ  in  the  medium  register,  where  nearly 
all  expressive  singing  has  to  be  done.  The  higher  notes,  of  course,  are 
not  neglected,  but  the  main  work  of  vocal  training  is  not  confined  to  them, 
nor  are  they  regarded  as  the  main  object  of  a  singer's  ambition. 

The  v:  ost  important  defect  of  ordinarv"  American  singers  is  their  inabil- 
itj'  to  sing  artistically  in  their  native  tongue.  This  is  due  in  part  to 
their  making  their  studies  abroad,  under  teachers  unacquainted  with  the 
niceties  of  English  speech,  and  in  part  to  their  own  mistaken  ideals  of 
the  essential  constituents  of  singing  of  the  highest  class.  It  deserves  to  be 
remembered  that  imperfect  enunciation  of  the  text  in  singing  is  always  a 
sign  of  bad  method  or  imperfect  training,  and  generalh'  of  both.  We  have 
had  in  America  many  conspicuous  examples  of  great  singers  able  to  sing 
in  the  English  tongue  with  delightful  clearness  and  ease,  and  without  in 
the  slightest  degree  impairing  the  legato  quality  of  the  musical  phrasing. 
Among  the  artists  of  this  kind  may  be  mentioned  the  peerless  Parepa 
Rosa,  Christine  Nilsson  and  the  great  Patti.  Nilsson,  indeed,  had  always 
a  slight  foreign  accent.  But  Parepa  and  Patti  were  English-speaking 
artists,  and  their  singing  of  ballads  was  something  delightful  to  hear. 
Nothing  was  neglected.  Words,  tones,  sentiment  —  all  alike  were  expressed 
in  a  complete  manner. 

There  is  great  need  of  a  national  standard  of  instruction  in  singing. 
The  best  qualities  of  all  schools  should  enter  into  it.  The  purity  of  Ital- 
ian tone,  musical  phrasing  and  the  comprehensiveness  of  Wagnerian 
phrasing,  and  the  simplicity  of  the  English  ballad  school,  with  its  earnest- 
ness, are  the  leading  qualities  which  should  enter  into  it.  In  order  to 
secure  this,  it  will  be  necessary-  to  begin  the  study  of  English  singing 

169 


earlier  than  is  usually  done,  and  to  supplement  the  purely  musical  studies 
by  other  of  a  complementary'  character,  calculated  to  bring  out  the  dram- 
atic intelligence  and  the  niceties  of  elocution.  Mrs.  Thurber  had  an  idea 
of  this  kind,  when  she  sacrificed  so  much  in  her  well  meant  attempt  to 
establish  English  opera  and  an  American  conservatory,  but  her  method  of 
procedure  was  not  well  devised.  English  singing  must  be  the  accomplish- 
ment aimed  at  from  the  start,  just  as  German  singing,  and  especially 
Wagnerian  singing,  is  aimed  at  in  Germany  or  French  singing  in  Paris. 
These  nations  have  found  it  impossible  to  secure  an  artistic  treatment  of 
their  native  songs  in  their  native  tongue  without  their  own  national  schools 
especially  designed  and  administered  for  securing  such  results.  It  is 
similar  in  England.  While  Italian  opera  holds  a  sort  of  prestige  with  the 
fashionable  classes,  most  of  the  singing  in  drawiup^  rooms  is  in  the  English 
tongue,  and  the  styles  most  in  demand  are  English  ballads  and  oratorio 
selections.  These  signify  a  peculiar  range  of  training,  which  as  yet  we 
have  not  realized  in  America,  but  which  must  be  brought  together  before 
we  reach  the  art  of  producing  the  best  possible  American  results  from 
American  voices,  and  for  American  audiences.  When  this  art  shall  have 
been  mastered  by  our  American  institutions  of  higher  musical  learning, 
it  will  enable  us  to  secure  better  results  from  all  kinds  of  voices,  more 
valuable  commercial  results  from  average  voices,  and  at  much  less  expense 
than  is  involved  in  any  complete  education  in  singing  as  at  present  admin- 
istered. 

There  is  now  a  good  market  for  singing  in  this  countrj',  whenever  it 
is  up  to  the  popular  demand  as  to  vocal  quality  and  other  elements  of 
attractiveness.  Light  opera  seems  to  be  established  upon  a  footing  from 
which  it  is  not  likely  to  be  displaced.  It  is  true  that  the  taste  as  j-et  is 
rather  crude,  allowing  spectacle  to  take  the  place  of  art;  but  there  will 
come  a  time,  and  that  not  far  hence,  when  singing  will  be  the  main 
element  of  the  popularity  of  a  prima  donna  in  light  opera.  In  spite  of 
the  market  for  light  sopranos  and  altos  upon  the  operatic  stage  in 
America,  nearly  every  j'oung  singer  experiences  no  small  difficult}'  in 
making  an  advantageous  engagement,  and  frequentlj-  has  to  serve  a  sort 
of  apprenticeship  upon  the  concert  stage  before  she  can  secure  a  proper 
footing,  even  in  operas  much  lighter,  musicalh*  considered,  than  she 
would  wish.  This  results  from  her  imperfect  and  ill-digested  training. 
She  is  neither  one  thing  nor  another.  She  is  not  a  ballad  singer,  nor  a 
grand  opera  singer,  nor  yet  a  good  church  singer,  but  a  sort  of  com- 
promise of  all  three,  without  having  brought  any  one  of  them  to  perfec- 
tion. This  will  never  be  different  until  we  have  American  singers  fully 
educated  in  this  countrj'. 

170 


When  we  speak  of  teachers,  the  list  of  celebrated  ones  is  a  long  one 
in  America.  It  would  ill  become  a  work  covering  the  range  of  the 
present  one  to  neglect  the  great  name  of  Mme.  Rudersdorf,  who  was 
perhaps  the  very  first  exponent  of  the  highest  qualities  of  song  who  ever 
established  herself  in  America  as  teacher.  She  was  a  singularly  accom- 
plished woman,  with  a  mind  of  wide  range  and  great  acuteness.  Her 
opinions  concerning  art  in  general  were  highly  prized  by  connoisseurs. 
She  had  a  method  of  voice  training  which  may  or  maj'  not  have  been  all 
that  she  thought  it;  but  as  in  regard  to  the  genius  and  value  of  her  ideas 
upon  effecti\-e  vocal  interpretation,  there  cannot  possibh'  be  two  opinions. 
She  was  equalh'  at  home  in  all  the  great  schools  of  singing,  treating  each 
perfectly  after  its  kind.  She  was  mistress  of  all  the  leading  modern 
tongues,  and  conversed  and  wrote  in  seveial  of  them  with  the  mastery  of 
a  native.  Upon  this  point,  indeed,  artists  are  a  law  unto  themselves. 
The  pianist,  Mme.  Carreiio,  speaks  and  writes  with  perfect  ease  five 
languages  :  Her  native  tongue  Spanish,  English,  French,  Italian  and 
German.  Mme.  Rudersdorf  added  to  this  repertory  Russian,  and  perhaps 
a  dialect  or  two  beyond.  She  gave  finishing  lessons  to  all  the  concert 
singers  of  her  time,  and  great  artists  did  not  disdain  to  avail  themselves 
of  her  labors  in  rehabilitating  roles  fallen  into  careless  habits  through  the 
exigencies  of  too  much  use  and  too  little  stud}'.  Among  the  pupils 
almost  wholly  formed  bj'  her  were  Emma  Thursby,  Fannie  Kellogg  and 
others.  Rudersdorf 's  first  appearance  in  this  country  was  at  the  world's 
peace  jubilee  of  1869,  when  her  grand  organ  rang  out  splendidly  through 
the  vast  space.  The  present  writer  heard  her  at  the  Handel  and  Haydn 
triennial  festival  of  187 1,  and  her  singing  in  Elijah  was  something  to 
remember.  No  other  singer  had  such  depth  and  vividness  of  dramatic 
characterization  with  the  voice.  Single  phrases  linger  in  memorj'  j-et. 
One  in  particular  which  most  impressed  itself  was  the  short  bit,  after  the 
angel  sings,  "And  one  cherub  cried  to  another,  saying,"  then  Rudersdorf 
took  up  the  phrase,  "Holy,  holy  is  God  the  Lord."  Notlier  larger  or 
more  worthy  the  occasion  could  be  imagined.  That  great  voice  rang 
out  with  such  intensity  as  if  the  soul  were  filled  with  a  conception  of 
the  greatness,  holiness  and  immensity  of  Deit\-.  This  was  like  what 
Wagner  saj-s,  that  it  is  the  province  of  music  to  awaken  in  the  hearer  a 
conception  of  the  Infinite 

The  selection  of  American  singers  and  teachers  here  following  is  far 
from  complete.  One  has  been  taken  and  another  left,  not  generalh- 
because  it  has  been  so  decreed,  but  because  there  was  not  room  for  all,  or 
particulars  of  certain  ones,  or  pictures  of  them,  were  impossible  to  get  in 
time.     Singers  are  a  transient  class,  here  to-daj'  and  gone  to-morrow, 


and  one  cannot  realize  the  difficulty  of  learning  exact  things  concerning 
them  until  one  has  tried  to  do  it.  Under  the  circumstances  the  best 
possible  has  been  done,  and  the  publisher  and  editor  take  pleasure  in  the 
accompanying  records  and  portraits  of  American  singers,  who  in  after 
generations,  we  doubt  not,  will  be  accounted  the  early  representatives  of 
a  distinguished  school  at  the  head,  very  naturally,  comes  the  name  of  that 
talented  American  singer,  Miss  Kellogg,  who  was  perhaps  the  first  Amer- 
ican soprano  to  make  a  distinguished  success  in  Italian  opera  abroad,  but 
whose  fame  also  has  been  peculiarly  associated  with  this  countrj',  where 
she  worked  so  many  j-ears  in  establishing  opera  in  English.  In  this 
respect  she  may  be  accounted  as  continuing  the  work  of  the  great  Parepa 
Rosa,  who  in  the  seasons  of  1869-70  gave  grand  opera  in  English 
throughout  the  country  with  admirable  success.  In  this  relation  her 
work  was  very  important,  especially  in  view  of  the  direction  which  oper- 
atic music  has  taken  during  these  later  years.  For  while  Patti  and 
many  other  prominent  American  singers  are  principally  famous  for  their 
assumptions  of  the  leading  roles  in  the  old  Italian  operas,  Miss  Kellogg 
distinguished  herself  as  early  as  1874  by  her  "  Senta "  in  Wagner's 
Flying  Dutchman. 

Clara  Louise  Kellogg. 

This  gifted  lady,  though  of  northern  extraction,  was  oorn  at  Sumter- 
ville,  S.  C,  in  July,  1842.  She  was  an  only  child,  and  her  mother,  pos- 
sessing superior  qualifications  as  an  amateur  musician,  devoted  herself  to 
improving  and  developing  the  remarkable  vocal  talent  which  Miss  Kellogg 
at  an  early  age  gave  evidence  of.  In  1856  she  removed  to  New  York, 
and  there  received  the  whole  of  her  musical  education.  Her  first  appear- 
ance in  opera  was  in  the  part  of  "Gilda"  in  Rigoletto,  in  1861,  at  the 
Academy  of  Music,  New  York,  meeting  with,  an  instantaneous  success. 
During  that  season  she  sang  some  ten  or  twelve  times.  In  November, 
1867,  she  made  her  debut  at  Her  Majesty's  Opera,  Drury  Lane,  London, 
in  the  part  of  ' '  Margherita, ' '  and  at  once  established  her  reputation  as  a 
prima  donna.  During  this  season  she  sang  constantly,  and  with  such 
favor  that  she  was  re-engaged  for  the  next  year.  During  the  term  from 
1868  to  1872  she  made  tours  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  United  States, 
and  established  a  popularity  for  herself  that  has  never  abated.  In  the 
latter  year  she  returned  to  London  and  reappeared  at  Her  Majesty's  Opera 
in  the  part  of  ' '  Linda. ' '  She  also  made  a  great  success  during  that  sea- 
son as  "Gilda."  Returning  to  the  United  States,  she  continued  to  inter- 
pret Italian  opera  with  ever  increasing  fame,  but  had  also  in  view  the 
putting  into  execution  of  an  ambition  she  had  long  entertained  —  of  organ- 


Clara  Louise  Kellogg. 


173 


A 


izing  an  English  opera  troupe.  This  she  finally  succeeded  in  doing  to 
her  satisfaction  in  1874,  and  of  her  enthusiastic  devotion  to  this  pro- 
ject we  may  judge  from  the  fact  that  she  personally  supervised  the 
translation  of  the  librettos,  the  putting  in  preparation  for  the  stage,  the 
training  of  the  soloists  and  the  instruction  and  rehearsals  of  the  chorus. 
She  had  the  satisfaction,  however,  of  proving  the  success  of  her  scheme 
in  the  most  striking  and  gratifying  manner.  Her  efforts  were  appreciated 
by  the  music-loving  public  with  liberality  and  even  enthu.siasm,.  and 
American  music  culture  owes  much  to  her  labors  as  a  pioneer  in  this  field 
of  musical  effort.  Her  success  was  not  only  immediate,  but  complete  and 
cumulative,  and  has  grown  from  year  to  j-ear.  Her  personal  industry 
has  been  indefatigable.  In  the  winter  of  1874-75  she  sang  no  few-er  than 
125  nights.  She  has  ever  since  maintained  a  remarkable  activit3^  Her 
musical  illustrations  form  a  repertoire  of  upwards  of  fort\'  operas  of  the 
first-class.  She  is  endowed  with  a  voice  of  great  compass,  flexibility  and 
purity,  perfected  by  the  most  conscientious  training.  Her  interpretation  of 
music  is  truthful  and  SA-mpathetic,  and  to  this  she  adds  an  enthusiasm 
which  infects  her  audiences.  In  addition,  she  possesses  an  executive 
ability  in  business  affairs  that  has  had  much  to  do  with  giving  per- 
manence to  the  popularity  which  has  attended  all  her  musical  under- 
takings. 

Mdlle.  Albani. 

This  gifted  lady,  whom  we  have  in  this  work  presented  in  her  stage 
name,  as  that  under  which  she  achieved  a  renown  that  is  regarded  with 
pride  by  all  Americans,  was  born  at  Chambly,  near  Montreal,  Can., 
in  1851,  her  father  having  been  a  professor  of  the  harp,  and  the  family 
name  Lajeunesse.  At  the  age  of  five,  the  family  having  removed  to 
Montreal,  Mdlle.  Lajeunesse  entered  the  convent  of  Notre  Dame  de  Sacre 
Cceur  there,  where  she  received  her  preliminary  training  in  singing.  In 
1864  the  famil}'  removed  to  Albany,  N.  Y.,  and  here  the  young  lady  sang 
in  the  choir  of  the  Catholic  cathedral,  the  rare  qualities  of  her  voice 
attracting  the  attention  of  the  Catholic  bishop,  who  advised  M.  Lajeunesse 
to  give  his  daughter  the  advantage  of  musical  training  in  Europe.  This 
interest  and  appreciation  were  shared  bj''  the  citizens  of  Albany,  who  gave 
a  public  concert  to  raise  funds  to  enable  Mdlle.  Lajeunesse  to  take  the 
course  which  had  been  recommended  for  her  advantage.  Accompanied 
by  her  father,  she  went  to  Paris  and  studied  for  eight  months  under 
Duprez,  afterward  going  to  Milan,  where  she  was  perfected  by  the  gifted 
maestro  Lamperti.  The  latter  was  inspired  by  her  genius  and  the 
glorious  capabilities  of  her  voice  to  an  extraordinary  interest  in  his  gifted 


pupil,  which  was  amply  rewarded  by  the  results.  The  admiration  which 
he  entertained  for  the  young  singer  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that 
he  dedicated  to  her  his  treatise  on  the  shake.  In  1870,  at  Messina,  she 
made  her  debut  in  La  Sonnambula,  taking  the  professional  name  of 
Albani,  in  grateful  recognition  of  the  city  which  had  enabled  her  to  equip 
herself  for  fame.  She  afterward  sang  at  the  Pergola,  Florence,  and, 
April  2,  1872,  made  her  first  appearance  at  the  Royal  Italian  Opera 
Covent  Garden,  London.  The  exceeding  beauty  of  her  light  soprano 
voice  and  the  charm  of  her  personal  appearance  carried  both  the  public 
and  the  critics  by  storm,  and  she  at  once  leaped  into  a  popularity,  since 
world-wide,  and  which  she  has  always  retained  and  justified.  She  later 
made  a  great  success  at  the  Italian  Opera,  Paris,  and  at  St.  Petersburg, 
and  later  on  visited  America,  where  she  once  more,  to  the  delight  of  the 
art-loving  people  of  Albany,  who  went  into  transports  over  their  protegee, 
sang  in  the  cathedral  of  that  cit}-.  Returning  to  London,  she  appeared 
regularly  thereafter  at  the  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  at  which  she  has 
ever  since  been  the  chief  and  a  permanent  attraction.  On  August  6, 
1878,  she  married  Mr.  Ernest  Gye,  who  by  the  death  of  his  father 
became  lessee  of  that  theatre.  She  has  also  been  prominentl}'  identified, 
since  taking  up  her  permanent  residence  in  London,  with  the  great 
Autumn  Festivals  of  England  at  Birmingham  and  elsewhere.  In  an 
extensive  repertoire,  covering  a  wide  range  of  vocal  capacity,  her  leading 
portrayals  are  "Amina"  in  La  Sonnambula,  "Marguerite"  in  Faust, 
"  Elsa  "  in  Lohengrin,  "  Elisabetta "  in  Tanyihauscr,  "  Gilda  "  in 
/?z^c?/^//(?,  and  the  parts  of  "  Ophelia, "  "Mignon,"  "Lucia,"  etc.  She 
is  prominent  among  the  number  of  those  who  have  brought  recognition 
and  honor  upon  American  musical  talent. 


Giovanni  B.  Ronconi. 

This  accomplished  flute  soloist,  operatic  singer  and  teacher  of  vocal 
music,  was  born  in  Rotterdam,  Holland,  in  1841.  His  father,  Hubert 
Sauvlet  (the  family  name),  being  a  violoncellist  of  repute,  and  his  mother 
a  celebrated  violinist. 

His  early  instruction  was  on  the  flute,  on  which  instrument  he  went 
to  his  uncle,  Antoine  Sauvlet,  at  the  Hague,  to  perfect  himself  He  gave 
his  first  concert  in  Delft,  Flanders,  at  the  age  of  nine  years.  Subsequently 
he  made  concert  tours  with  his  parents  and  brothers  and  sister,  the 
family  constituting  an  orchestra  of  wide  reputation.  On  the  death  of  his 
mother,  in  1861,  he  went  to  Copenhagen,  and  thence  to  Stockholm, 
Sweden,  where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  seven  years;  for  three  years 
being  connected  with  the  Court  theatre,  and  for  one  year  professor  in  the 

176 


S.S/u 


u-"^ 


consen^atory.  While  there,  he  discovered  the  fact  that  he  had  a  voice, 
which  he  thereafter  made  studious  effort  to  cultivate  and  develop.  After 
visiting  England,  remaining  for  a  year  and  a  half,  he  made  an  engage- 
ment with  Bilse,  taking  a  flute  part  in  the  Berlin  orchestra.  During  two 
years  of  his  stay  here,  he  studied  assiduously  under  Krause  and  Gustav 
Engel,  and  afterward  under  Evarardi  in  the  Conservatory  of  St.  Peters- 
burg. Thence  he  went  to  Italy  to  perfect  his  studies,  taking  lessons  from 
Sebastian  Ronconi,  Perini  and  Lamperti  at  Milan,  Selva  at  Padua,  and 
finally  under  Nanni,  at  Rome. 

He  made  his  first  appearance  in  La  Sojuiainbula,  1S79,  and  his  first 
great  success  at  the  "  Teatro  Manzoni,"  at  Pistoia,  Florence,  as  "  Mephis- 
tophele, ' '  in  Faust,  v^A'Co.  Signora  de  Cardenas  as  ' '  Marguerite  ' ' ;  also  at  the 
"Teatro  Pagliano,"  Florence,  with  Elena  Varesi,  in  Rigolctto.  He  thus 
attracted  the  attention  of  Mapleson,  the  impresario,  with  whora  he 
engaged  for  the  opera  season  of  1883,  visiting  America.  Returning  to 
Italy  in  the  fall  of  that  year,  he  joined  Hawley's  Italian  Opera  Company, 
on  a  tour  to  the  East  Indies,  and  sang  in  Verdi's  //  Trovatore  at  Colombo, 
Ceylon,  Singapore,  Batavia,  Java  and  elsewhere  in  the  Polynesian  islands. 
At  Batavia  he  had  the  unexpected  happiness  of  meeting  his  brother  Emil, 
a  pianoforte  and  violin  virtuoso,  whom  he  had  not  seen  for  a  period  of 
twent}'  3'ears. 

Leaving  the  Hawley  company,  he  and  his  brother  then  gave  concert 
exhibitions  throughout  the  East  Indian  islands;  after  which,  in  1884,  he 
returned  to  Italy,  and  thence  went  to  New  York,  whence,  after  a  short 
time,  occupied  in  teaching,  he  removed  to  Charleston,  S.  C,  as  vocal 
instructor  in  the  conserv^atorj'  there,  and  taught  with  much  success  for 
some  time;  after  which  he  founded  there  a  college  of  vocal  teaching  on 
his  own  account.  In  1885,  he  engaged  to  sing  in  opera  with  the  Emma 
Abbott  Company,  but  shorth'  left  them  on  account  of  his  objection  to 
nightly  appearances  in  Mikado  and  similar  frivolous  comic  operas.  He 
went  then  to  St.  John,  New  Brunswick,  and  while  there  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Mr.  Eistemann,  of  Boston,  who  insisted  upon  his 
removal  to  that  city. 

In  Boston  Signor  Ronconi  has  been  extremely  successful  in  voice 
culture,  and  has  also  occupied  himself  with  a  project  which  he  has  still  in 
hand,  which  designs  to  establish  an  English  operatic  school,  having  in 
contemplation  the  creation  in  and  around  Boston  of  a  permanent  opera 
company  of  native  talent.  He  has  made  frequent  appearances  on  concert 
tours,  in  which  he  has  latterly  been  associated  with  Carlyle  Petersilea,  the 
distinguished  pianist. 

Signor  Ronconi  is  an  earnest  student  of  his  art,  and  not  long  since, 

178 


in  the  columns  of  the  American  Musiciati,  has  placed  before  the  musical 
public  a  theory  of  no  little  interest.  This  theory  is  based  upon  a  belief  in 
the  entire  fallacj'  of  the  universal  theorj^  upon  which  all  our  music  has 
been  written  —  that  bass  or  male  voices  necessarily  sound  an  octave  lower 
than  they  are  written.  He  demonstrates  that  all  music  written  in  bass 
clef  (so  far  as  the  notation  is  concerned)  must  be  wrong,  as  it  is  written 
an  octave  lower  than  the  pitch  of  the  bass  voice  sound,  and  his  illustra- 
tions certainh'  go  very  strongly  to  recommend  his  theory,  which,  if  cor- 
rect, will  prove  a  discovery  of  no  little  importance.  This  matter  has 
engaged  the  attention  of  those  skilled  in  the  subject  of  the  compass  and 
vibrations  of  the  human  voice,  and  may  possibly  revolutionize  the  method 
of  writing  music  in  this  respect. 

L.  Gaston  Gottschalk. 

This  talented  vocalist  and  teacher,  a  brother  of  the  eminent  pianist, 
Louis  Moreau  Gottschalk,  was  born  in  New  Orleans  in  1847.  Like  his 
brother,  he  received  his  musical  education  in  Paris,  and  numbered  among 
his  earlier  teachers  Ronconi  and  Rizzo.  His  aptitude  was  remarkable, 
and  he  soon  entered  upon  a  successful  series  of  concerts  through  America 
to  California.  He  then  went  to  Italy  and  placed  himself  for  ten  months 
under  Francesco  Lamperti,  making  his  debut  in  Cremona  at  the  Theatre 
Delia  Concordia,  meeting  such  immediate  and  unqualified  success  that  he 
made  twenty-two  appearances  in  Lucrezia,  singing  afterward  in  Trovatore 
and  /  Due  Foscari.  He  subsequently  engaged  at  Alexandria  and  Genoa, 
and  from  the  latter  place  entered  upon  a  five  years'  engagement  with 
Max  Strakosch,  during  which  time  he  sang  with  Gerster,  Cary, 
Kellogg,  Roze,  Tietjens,  Belocca,  Singer  and  Campanini.  Later  he  was 
with  Minnie  Hauk  traveling  through  the  United  States,  and  with  Kellogg 
and  Brignoli  during  their  American  tour.  Going  to  London,  he  was 
engaged  bj-  Eniest  Gye  for  Covent  Garden,  and  both  there  and  afterward 
in  St.  Petersburg,  where  he  appeared  with  Pauline  Lucca,  was  successful 
in  the  operas  Trovatore,  Carmen  and  Traviata.  In  Paris  he  earned 
great  distinction,  being  accompanied  at  soirees-musicales  by  Saint  Saens 
and  Gounod,  and  singing  at  the  Trocadero  with  Guilmant,  the  eminent 
organist,  and  Colonne's  orchestra.  Afterward  during  a  provincial  tour 
he  was  made  an  honorarj^  member  of  the  famous  Societe  Philharmonique 
of  Angers.  Returning  to  Paris,  he  divided  his  time  for  a  period  between 
singing  and  teaching,  numbering  among  his  pupils  nieces  of  the  king 
of  Ser\-ia.  In  1886  he  accepted  the  position  of  director  of  the  vocal 
department  at  the  Chicago  Musical  College,  where  he  remained  up  to 
1889.     During  the  summer  he  opened  a  school  of  vocal  art  on  his  own 

I  So 


account.  Mr.  Gottschalk  counts  among  the  memorable  moments  of  an 
eventful  life  a  meeting  one  afternoon  with  Liszt,  who  plaj-ed  for  him  and 
to  whom  he  sang.  Liszt  had  known  his  brother,  the  pianist,  intimately. 
John  C.  Freund,  in  a  recent  paper  in  the  American  Musician,  saj'S  of  him: 
"  Gottschalk  is  a  master  of  the  art  of  '  bel  canto.'  He  is  '  a  singer  and 
an  artist'  —  titles  that  can  be  conferred  upon  very  few  of  the  so-called 
•  singers  of  the  world.  Gottschalk  never  forced  his  voice  and  never  used 
any  clap-trap  or  illegitimate  methods  to  obtain  public  favor.  He  always 
remained  strictly  within  the  limitations  of  the  true  and  conscientious 
artist. ' ' 

Helene  Hastreiter. 

This  distinguished  singer,  who  of  late  has  been  winning  laurels  for 
native  musical  art  in  her  tourncc  in  the  principal  cities  of  Europe,  was 
particularly  conspicuous  in  this  country  during  the  existence  of  the  Amer- 
ican Opera  Company,  with  which  organization  she  did  some  of  her  best 
and  most  artistic  work.  Mme.  Hastreiter  was  born  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
Nov.  14,  1858.  At  an  early  age  she  displayed  the  possession  of  a  remark- 
able voice  and  rare  talent  for  music.  This  gift  was  encouraged  by  her 
parents,  and  as  soon  as  she  was  old  enough  to  make  such  a  course  advis- 
able, she  was  given  the  best  available  teachers.  After  distinguishing  her- 
self by  her  rapid  progress  and  evincing  zeal  and  artistic  enthusiasm  equal 
to  her  natural  endowments,  she  was  advi.sed  to  continue  her  studies  abroad. 
This  advice  was  accepted,  and  she  sailed  for  Europe,  where  she  remained 
for  several  years,  studying  under  various  masters,  but  for  the  most  part 
with  Lamperti,  the  celebrated  teacher  of  Milan,  who  is  and  has  been  for 
years  one  of  the  most  renowned  instructors  of  Italy.  In  addition  to  her 
studies  in  vocal  art,  Mme.  Hastreiter  devoted  attention  to  other  branches 
of  musical  education,  and  the  result  is  that  she  is  far  superior  to  most 
singers  in  the  way  of  general  musical  culture.  Her  debut  was  a  triumph, 
and  she  was  at  once  in  demand  for  the  principal  opera  houses  of  southern 
Europe.  She  sang,  with  immense  success  at  Milan,  Florence,  Trieste, 
Rome  and  other  art  centres,  and  .she  was  everywhere  recognized  as  a 
dramatic  soprano  of  exceptional  power,  her  acting,  as  well  as  her  singing, 
gaining  enthusiastic  praise. 

On  her  return  to  her  native  land,  Mme.  Hastreiter  gave  her  attention 
mainly  to  concert  singing  and  oratorio,  as  the  family  to  which  .she  joined 
fortunes  matrimonially  objected  to  her  following  her  career  as  an  opera 
singer.  In  oratorio  she  was  greatly  successful,  and  this  style  of  composi- 
tion is  well  suited  to  her  dramatic  style,  and  expressive  and  emotional 
singing.  When  the  American  Opera  Company  was  organized  Mme.  Has- 
treiter was  engaged  as  one  of  the  dramatic  sopranos.     Her  voice  is  really 

iSl 


mezzo  in  qualit}-,  but  her  compass  is  unusually  great.  She  made  a  sen- 
sation by  her  work  with  this  company,  especially  in  the  part  of  Orpheus, 
which  she  made  entirely  her  own.  The  impression  of  this  superb  charac- 
terization will  not  soon  be  effaced  from  the  minds  of  those  who  heard  her 
in  the  role.  Mme.  Hastreiter  was  recently  married  to  Dr.  Burgunzio,  an 
Italian  physician.  At  the  present  writing  (1889)  she  is  singing  in  south- 
ern Europe,  where  she  is  meeting  with  continued  success.  In  the  winter' 
of  1888  she  made  an  extraordinary  success  in  a  revival  of  Gluck's 
"Orpheus,"  in  the  title  role  of  which  she  played  for  several  weeks  at 
Rome  and  other  principal  cities  of  Italy.  The  production  was  made 
under  her  own  supervision,  with  the  intention  of  rivaling  the  splendor  of 
the  mounting  seen  in  the  American  opera,  under  the  lavish  management 
of  its  first  season.  Mme.  Hastreiter  is  a  singularly  accomplished  linguist, 
her  English,  French,  German  and  Italian  being  alike  faultless,  both  in 
singing  and  in  speaking.  In  person  she  is  tall,  erect,  with  a  noble  carri- 
age and  commanding  manners.  Intellectually  she  is  bright,  but  decided, 
with  a  tinge  of  hauteur.  Her  recitative  is  singularly  good  dramatically, 
and  her  legato  phrasing  is  beautiful.  Unlike  almost  all  sopranos  of  the 
French  school,  she  is  entirely  free  from  offensive  vibrato.  Her  tone  is 
firm,  true  and  sweet.  Upon  the  whole,  she  must  be  accounted  one  of  the 
most  commanding  singers  that  America  has  produced. 

Adelaide  Phillips. 

This  great  contralto  singer  was  born  at  Bristol,  England,  in  1833,  and 
came,  with  her  parents,  to  the  United  States,  when  she  was  only  seven 
years  old.  Her  first  instructor  was  Thomas  Comer,  of  Boston,  and  under 
his  tuition  her  vocal  powers  developed  so  rapidly  that  in  1842  she  made  her 
first  public  appearance  at  the  Tremont  theatre,  and  in  the  following  j'ear 
appeared  at  the  Boston  Museum.  In  1850  she  sang  before  Jenny  Lind, 
who  strongly  advised  her  to  go  to  Europe  to  complete  her  education. 
Raising  the  funds  by  a  subscription  and  a  benefit  concert  she  went,  in 
1852,  to  London,  where  she  studied  the  voice  with  Signor  E.  Garcia,  and 
piano  and  harmony  with  W.  Chalmers.  She  completed  her  musical  edu- 
cation in  Italy.  In  December,  1854,  she  made  her  professional  debut  at 
Milan  as  ' '  Rosina  "  in  //  Darbiere  di  Seviglia,  and  met  with  a  cordial 
reception.  She  returned,  with  her  father,  to  America  in  1S55,  and  sang 
in  several  companies,  traveling  all  over  the  United  States,  for  about  six 
years.  She  then  made  a  prolonged  European  tour  and  was  warmlj'  wel- 
comed wherever  .she  went.  In  1879  she  joined  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera 
Company  and  frequently  sang  in  oratorios  at  the  concerts  of  the  Boston 
Handel   and   Haydn   Society.       Her  last  appearance  at  Boston  was  in 

1S2 


I83 


November,  1880,  at  Mary  Beebe's  benefit,  and  she  appeared  for  the  last 
time  on  any  stage  at  Cincinnati  in  December,  1881.  She  was  then  com- 
pelled by  failing  health  to  take  a  rest,  but  the  strain  of  overwork  had 
been  too  great  and  she  died  in  September,  1882,  in  southern  France,  where 
she  had  gone,  hoping  for  relief  Her  favorite  role  was  ' '  Azucena ' '  in 
Verdi's  //  Trovatore,  though  her  efforts  were  by  no  means  confined  to 
opera.  Her  voice  was  a  pure,  rich  contralto  of  great  compass,  and  some 
of  her  best  triumphs  were  gained  at  concerts  and  in  oratorios.  Not 
alone  a  fine  artist,  but  a  true-hearted,  gentle  •^oman,  she  gathered  around 
her,  in  the  course  of  an  active  life,  a  large  circle  of  friends,  to  whom  her 
death  was  a  sad  loss. 

Anna  LomsE  Gary. 

This  eminent  American  contralto  singer  is  the  daughter  of  a  practic- 
ing physician  of  Wayne,  Kennebec  count}',  Me.,  where  she  was  born  in 
1846,  being  the  youngest  of  six  children.  Her  musical  qualities  were 
apparent  almost  from  infancy,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  her  promise  was  so 
remarkable  that  it  was  decided  to  send  her  to  Boston,  where  her  elder 
brother  lived,  for  vocal  cultivation.  She  took  lessons  from  various  Boston 
teachers,  but  principally  from  L,yman  W.  Wheeler,  and  sang  during  her 
residence  in  the  city,  which  extended  over  six  years,  in  the  leading  churches, 
gaining  much  reputation  for  the  power  and  beauty  of  her  voice.  Provided 
with  means  to  secure  European  instruction,  by  a  benefit  concert  given  in 
Boston,  she  proceeded  to  Milan  and  placed  herself  under  the  care  of  Corsi. 
Making  rapid  progress,  she  was  persuaded  to  join  an  Italian  opera  com- 
pany, with  which  she  made  her  debut  at  Copenhagen.  Finding,  however, 
that  she  was  not  yet  competent  to  do  justice  to  her  natural  talent  in  opera, 
she  went  to  Baden-Baden,  and  resumed  the  work  of  study  under  the  cele- 
brated Mme.  Viardot-Garcia.  With  a  better  equipment  she  now  success- 
fully essayed  the  stage  at  Hamburg,  and  attracting  the  attention  of  Max 
Strakosch,  engaged  with  him  for  the  season  of  1868  at  Stockholm.  Her 
vocal  resources  developed  with  practice,  and  after  a  short  residence  in 
Paris  she  sang  a  brilliant  engagement  at  Brussels.  She  then  engaged  for 
a  term  of  three  years  with  Strakosch,  appearing  at  Drury  Lane,  London, 
in  the  spring  of  1870,  and  in  the  fall  singing  with  Christine  Nilsson  in 
New  York.  She  afterward  sang  throughout  the  principal  cities  of  the 
United  States,  meeting  everywhere  with  brilliant  success  and  enthusiastic 
applause.  She  visited  St.  Petersburg  in  1875  and  created  a  remarkable 
sensation,  returning  to  her  native  land  in  1876.  In  1880  she  paid  a  long  and 
successful  professional  visit  to  Sweden,  returning  in  the  fall  of  1881.  In  the 
Cincinnati  May  Festival  of  1882  she  was  a  central  figure,  and  in  that  year 

184 


Annie  Louise  Gary. 


185 


was  married  to  Mr.  C.  M.  Raymond.  She  still  continues  to  merit  and 
maintain  the  high  favor  which  has  always  been  commanded  by  her  with 
American  as  with  foreign  audiences.  She  is  one  of  the  numerous  company 
of  witnesses  who  prove,  by  their  musical  achievements,  that  there  is  no 
truth  in  the  contention  of  those  purblind  critics  who  view  our  musical  pro- 
gress and  capabilities  with  a  foreign  eye,  that  there  is  no  musical  instinct 
in  American  national  life. 

Minnie  Hauk. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  an  American  singer  who  has  achieved  a 
world-wide  reputation.  Minnie  Hauk's  operatic  career,  as  well  as  her 
private  life,  is  full  of  interesting  events.  She  was  born  in  New  York  city, 
Nov.  1 6,  1853.  When  she  was  quite  young  her  parents  moved  west- 
ward, and  her  childhood  was  passed  mainly  in  Kansas,  near  the  city  of 
Leavenworth.  The  same  cause  which  had  suggested  the  famil5-'s  removal 
to  the  west  now  suggested  a  further  pilgrimage,  this  time  to  the  south, 
and  the  Hauks  located  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans.  Minnie  Hauk  lived 
in  the  south  during  the  civil  war,  and  passed  through  many  exciting  and 
romantic  scenes.  She  took  naturally  to  music,  and  her  chief  pleasure, 
even  when  she  was  little  more  than  a  child,  was  singing  around  the  old 
plantation- which  was  the  home  of  the  family.  One  day  a  rich  musical 
amateur,  who  was  passing  the  house,  heard  little  Minnie  singing,  and  he 
at  once  ofiFered  to  have  her  instructed  at  his  own  expense.  Shortlj^  after- 
ward she  was  afforded  her  first  opportunity  to  sing  in  public,  at  a  benefit 
concert  given  for  the  widows  and  orphans.  On  this  occasion  she  sang  a 
selection  from  Crozcn  Diamonds,  and  Bellini's  aria,  Casta  Diva,  from 
Norma.  Though  but  twelve  years  old  at  the  time,  she  gave  signs  of 
wonderful  talent,  and  her  singing  created  a  furore.  The  famih-  soon 
afterward  returned  to  New  York,  and  Miss  Hauk  was  placed  with  Signor 
Errani,  with  whom  her  studies  may  be  said  to  have  begun.  She  ad- 
vanced rapidly,  and  after  making  several  quasi-public  appearances  at  the 
theatre  of  Mr.  L,eonard  Jerome,  one  of  her  patrons  and  friends,  she 
appeared  at  the  Academ}^  of  Music  under  the  management  of  Max 
Maretzck.  The  opera  was  La  Soiniambiila,  and  the  young  singer  made 
a  decided  and  unequivocal  success.  From  that  time  she  has  been  one  of 
the  most  popular  of  American  singers.  In  1869  she  went  to  Europe  and 
sang  at  Her  Majesty's  Opera,  choosing  the  role  of  "  Amina  "  in  Sonnam- 
bula  for  her  debut  in  England.  Here  she  was  equally  successful,  and 
after  the  season  she  spent  a  year  or  more  in  study  and  travel  in  Italy  and 
France.  Under  the  management  of  Max  Strakosch  she  made  a  tour  in 
Russia  and  Holland,  where  she  appeared  both  in  concert  and  in  opera. 

186 


Minnie  Hauk. 


1.S7 


In  1870  she  appeared  in  Vienna,  and  became  a  favorite.  A  few  years 
later  she  attracted  the  attention  of  Richard  Wagner,  and  with  that  great 
genius  she  studied  the  roles  of  "  Elsa  "  and  "Senta,"  two  of  his  most 
poetic  characters.  She  has  also  made  distinct  hits  in  the  creation  of 
several  other  characters,  notably  her  "Carmen,"  her  "  Manon  Lascaut " 
and  her  "  Mignon  ;  as  "Carmen"  especially  she  is  unequaled.  Her 
Elsa  ' '  in  Lohengrin  was  one  of  the  best  upon  the  stage,  and  those  who 
happened  to  hear  the  duet  in  the  fourth  act  of  this  opera,  as  sung  by  her 
and  vSignor  Campanini,  in  his  best  days,  will  not  soon  forget  Ihe  deep  and 
soul-stirring  impression  produced  by  their  joint  efforts. 

Miss  Hauk  married,  in  1876,  the  Chevalier  Hesse-Wartegg,  and  she 
has  been  very  happy  in  her  domestic  life. 

Adeuna  Patti. 

The  record  of  this  most  popular  of  our  singers  stands  out  pre-emi- 
nent above  that  of  any  other  operatic  artist.  It  was  nearly  thirty  j^ears  ago 
when  she  made  her  first  great  success,  and  during  all  that  time  she  has 
been  filling  the  world  with  song,  until  her  name  has  become  a  household 
word  in  every  civilized  countrj^  of  the  earth.  She  was  born  Feb.  19, 
1843,  at  Madrid,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Salvatore  Patti,  an  Italian 
singer,  who  subsequently  became  a  well  known  orchestral  leader  in 
America.  Her  mother  was  a  Spaniard  who,  as  Signora.  Barili,  before  her 
marriage  with  Patti,  acquired  some  reputation  in  Spain  and  Italj\  When 
Adelina  was  quite  a  child  her  parents  came  to  America  and  lived  for  some 
time  at  New  Orleans,  where  the  father  was  leader  of  the  orchestra  in  the 
French  Opera  house,  then  in  its  palmy  da5's,  where  Adelina  received 
her  early  education.  She  showed  'a  talent  for  music  at  a  tender  age,  and 
was  first  instructed  in  singing  bj-  Maurice  Strakosch,  who  afterward 
married  the  elder  sister,  Amelia.  She  was  very  young  when  she  first 
appeared  in  public,  and  though  she  did  not  then  possess  any  of  the  per- 
sonal beauty  which  made  her  so  attractive  in  later  life,  she  met  with  a 
good  reception.  Her  musical  ability  and  her  sweetness  of  voice  were 
abundantly  evident,  but  it  was  deemed  wisest  to  withdraw  her  from  the 
public  stage  until  her  education  was  completed. 

When  she  was  sixteen  years  old  she  was  brought  out  in  New  York 
as  "Lucia,"  and  gained  much  success  in  that  and  other  parts.  But  it  was 
not  until  May  14,  1861,  when  she  made  her  di-dui  at  the  Royal  Italian 
opera  in  London,  as"  Amina, ' '  that  she  became  famous.  It  was  a  marvelous 
triumph  for  a  practically  unknown  singer,  and  from  that  time  to  this  she 
has  never  lost  her  hold  on  the  public  affection.  She  repeated  the  part  of 
"Amina"  eight  times,  then  sang  as  "Lucia,"  "Violetta,"  "Zerlina"  (in 

ISS 


A.DELINA   PATTI. 


i&) 


Don  Giovanni),  "Martha"  and  "Rosina,"  and  won  fresh  laurels  every 
time  she  appeared.  In  the  autumn  of  that  j-ear  she  sang  at  the  Birming- 
ham musical  festival,  and  also  in  opera  at  Liverpool,  Manchester  and 
other  cities.  She  afterward  entered  into  engagements  to  sing  at  Brussels, 
Paris  and  Berlin.  Every  year  since  1861  Patti  has  sung  at  Covent  Gar- 
den, and  receives,  if  possible,  a  heartier  welcome  to-day  than  she  did  in 
the  first  flush  of  her  triumph.  She  made  an  operatic  tour  of  the  English 
provinces  in  1862;  sang  at  the  Birmingham  festival  of  1864,  notably  as 
"Adah"  in  Naatnan;  appeared  at  the  Handel  festivals  of  1865,  1877  ^'^^ 
1880,  and  at  the  lyiverpool  festival  of  1874,  besides  making  a  number  of 
brilliant  provincial  concert  tours.  Patti  came  to  America  on  an  operatic 
concert  tour  under  Abbey's  management  in  1882,  and  she  was  also  here 
with  Mapleson  in  the  season  of  1884-85,  singing  in  the  operatic  festival 
at  Chicago  May  6  to  20,  1885.  But  there  is  hardly  a  place  of  any 
importance  in  the  civilized  world  where  Patti  has  not  been  heard  at  some 
time  or  other  —  all  over  Europe,  North  and  South  America,  Australia, 
the  West  Indies,  etc.  She  married  July  29,  1868,  Henri,  Marquis  de 
Caux,  equerry  to  Napoleon  III. 

Her  repertoire  is  very  extensive,  .several  characters,  chiefly  of  the 
Italian  school,  having  been  revived  for  her;  among  them  "Maria," 
"Norina,"  "Adina,"  "Linda,"  "Luisa  Miller,"  "Desdemona,"  "Ninetta" 
"Semiramide,"  etc.  She  has  also  created  many  new  parts,  such  as 
"Annetta"  in  Crispino  e  la  Comare;  "Esmeralda;"  "Gelmina;"  "Juliet;" 
"La  Catarina"  in  Diamants  de  la  Coiironne;  "Aida"  and  "Estella"  in 
Les  Bluets. 

As  a  singer  Mme.  Patti  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  that  the  records 
of  song  can  show.  Her  voice  is  a  pure  mezzo  soprano,  which  originally 
had  a  high  range  in  upper  notes,  but  in  later  j-ears  has  lost  somewhat  in 
this  respect,  gaining  in  the  medium  register  more  than  enough  to  offset  it. 
She  is  careful  not  to  force  her  notes  and  not  to  sing  high  notes  too  often. 
Hence  after  nearly  thirty  years  of  public  life  her  organ  shows  compara- 
tively few  signs  of  wear.  When  she  was  heard  in  Chicago  in  1884,  after 
twenty  years  absence,  almost  the  only  place  in  her  range  showing  the 
influence  of  long  use  was  the  high  G,  a  note  susceptible  of  being  sung  by 
medium  or  head  register.  Upon  this  note  she  often  used  the  mechanism 
of  medium  register,  the  result  being  a  tone  very  powerful  but  not  so 
sweet  as  formerly.  Her  vocalism  is  as  nearly-  perfect  as  the  records  of 
song  .show.  Whether  in  English  ballad  or  in  the  most  florid  of  Italian 
fioratiire,  her  legato  and  even  tone  quality  are  irreproachable.  For  ora- 
torio she  lacks  seriousness  and  depth  of  mentality.  Her  true  sphere  is  in 
light  opera  of  the  Italian  .school. 


^-^^-^><^ 


Lyman  Warren  Wheeler. 
One  of  the  most  popular  and  successful  teachers  of  singing  in 
Boston  is  Mr.  Lyman  Warren  Wheeler,  who  has  been  connected  with  the 
New  England  Conservatory  of  Music  since  its  foundation.  Mr.  Wheeler 
was  born  at  Swampscott,  Mass.,  a  fashionable  watering  place  and  summer 
resort,  in  the  spring  of  1837.  When  about  ten  years  of  age  he  began  his 
musical  studies  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  C.  A.  Adams,  of  Lynn,  Mass., 
with  whom  he  remained  four  years,  at  the  same  time  taking  a  few  lessons 
on  the  piano  and  organ,  and  attending  the  common  school.  At  this  time 
young  Wheeler  possessed  an  alto  voice  of  remarkable  sweetness  and 
unusual  compass,  singing  three  octaves  without  any  difficulty.  He 
received  many  offers  to  join  concert  companies,  but  his  father,  with  great 
good  sense,  realizing  the  delicacy  of  a  young  voice  and  the  readiness  with 
which  it  may  be  entirely  ruined,  preferred  to  keep  the  boy  at  home  at  his 
studies.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  went  to  Boston,  ambitious  to  acquire 
the  best  musical  education  obtainable,  and  in  the  spring  of  1853  he  entered 
the  Philharmonic  Institute,  where  he  remained  two  j'ears.  On  leaving  the 
institute  he  continued  his  studies  in  vocal  music  under  the  best  English 
and  Italian  masters,  and  in  September,  1857,  he  started  for  the  west,  and 
began  teaching  in  different  cities.  During  the  winter  of  1857  Mr.  Wheeler 
had  no  fewer  than  900  pupils  whom  he  met  every  week.  He  officiated  as 
conductor  of  several  musical  societies,  and  has  held  musical  conventions 
in  many  of  the  principal  western  cities.  In  September,  i860,  Mr.  Wheeler 
sailed  for  Europe  with  the  intention  of  placing  himself  under  Garcia,  the 
preceptor  of  Jenny  Lind,  Malibran  and  many  other  famous  vocalists. 
He  entered  the  Royal  Academj'  of  London,  Garcia  being  at  that  time  the 
head  of  the  vocal  department  of  that  institution,  and  after  devoting  a 
year  to  the  most  arduous  study  of  the  art  of  singing,  he  repaired  to  Milan, 
Italy,  where  he  began  with  Prati  and  San  Giovanni,  with  whom  he 
remained  eighteen  months,  during  a  part  of  that  time  taking  two  or  three 
lessons  each  day.  At  the  sug^^estion  of  Garcia,  he  then  sought  the 
guidance  of  Skafati,  a  famous  teacher  at  Naples,  with  whom  Mr.  Wheeler 
studied  for  five  months.  During  his  stay  in  Italy  he  studied  and  com- 
mitted to  memory  the  principal  tenor  roles  of  a  large  number  of  grand 
operas.  Returning  to  London  in  1863,  he  reviewed  all  his  past  instruction 
with  his  old  master,  Garcia,  besides  studying  the  oratorios  with  Smith  and 
Perrin.  At  the  queen's  concert  rooms,  and  also  at  the  concerts  of  the 
Royal  Academy  Mr.  Wheeler  sang  with  distinguished  success.  He 
returned  to  his  native  country  in  August,  1863,  and  accepted  the  position 
of  tenor  in  Emanuel  church,  Boston.  His  first  public  appearance  was 
with  the  Handel  and   Haydn  Society,  when  they  first  sang  in   Boston 

192 


music  hall  with  the  great  organ  of  that  auditorium.  Mr.  Wheeler  sang 
the  tenor  roles  in  many  productions  of  oratorio  in  Boston  and  other  cities 
in  New  England,  meeting  with  the  highest  praise  from  the  critics  and  the 
public.  As  a  teacher  he  soon  found  all  his  time  taken  up,  and  he  was 
obliged  to  give  up  singing  in  public,  to  devote  himself  to  his  class.  At  the 
foundation  of  the  New  England  Conservatory  Mr.  Wheeler  was  asked  to 
become  one  of  the  faculty,  and  to  that  splendid  institution  he  has  devoted 
himself  and  his  best  efforts  ever  since.  He  has  graduated  some  of  the 
best  singers  that  America  has  produced,  many  of  the  famous  artists  of  the 
day  having  obtained  the  foundation  of  their  success  under  his  guidance. 
Mr.  Wheeler  usually  spends  his  summers  in  normal  work,  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  For  some  years  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Wm. 
H.  Sherwood,  in  summer  schools  of  this  kind,  whereby  his  influence  is 
more  widely  extended. 

Marie  Litta 
An  American  singer  who  died  prematurely,  yet  lived  to  accomplish 
much,  was  Marie  Litta,  who  departed  this  life  in  1883,  when  but  twenty- 
seven  j-ears  of  age.  Her  real  name  was  Marie  von  EUsner,  and  she  was 
born  in  June,  1856,  the  daughter  of  a  poor  and  obscure  musician.  In  her 
early  childhood  little  Marie  gave  evidence  of  the  possession  of  a  remarka- 
ble voice,  and  when  only  four  years  old  she  sang  in  a  concert  and  delighted 
the  audience  with  her  precocious  talent.  When  she  was  a  trifle  over  nine 
years  old  she  sang  at  Steinway  hall.  New  York,  and  was  acclaimed  as  a 
prodigy.  In  the  summer  of  1869,  accompanied  by  her  father,  .she  went 
to  Cleveland,  and  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Thieme,  editor  of  the 
Wackier  am  Eric,  obtained  the  consent  of  the  manager  of  a  German 
theatre  to  permit  her  to  sing  between  the  acts.  The  audience  was 
enthusiastic  in  its  applause  and  appreciation,  and  among  the  many  who 
recognized  the  wonderful  gift  of  the  j^oung  girl  was  Mr.  Hugo  Hench,  a 
German  druggist,  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  a  well  known  connoisseur  in 
musical  art.  His  interest  was  at  once  aroused,  and  the  following  day, 
through  his  invitation  and  acquaintance,  the  child,  accompanied  by  her 
father,  visited  Mr.  John  Underner,  a  teacher  of  vocal  music  of  long 
experience,  and  an  esteemed  resident  of  Cleveland.  After  hearing  her 
sing,  Mr.  Underner  pronounced  her  voice  phenomenal,  and  at  once  pro- 
posed to  the  father  that  his  child  should  be  placed  under  immediate 
instruction.  His  offer  to  take  her  was  accepted,  and  from  that  time  Marie 
received  constant  daily  teaching.  She  was  an  apt  scholar,  faithful  in  her 
practice,  and  made  the  most  rapid  advancement.  At  the  end  of  three  months 
Mr.  Underner  discovered  that  her  voice  was  undergoing  a  most  marked 
change,  and  immediately  wrote  her  father  that  perfect  quiet  and  rest  were 

iy3 


absolutely  necessary  for  its  preservation,  but  that  as  soon  as  the  proper 
time  came  he  would  resume  his  instruction.  Considerable  interest  at  this 
time  existed  in  musical  circles  to  hear  the  child-wonder,  and  before  leaving 
for  her  home  Mr.  Underner  gave  a  musical  soiree  at  Chapin's  hall  on  the 
evening  of  Oct.  22,  1869.  It  was  a  remarkable  exhibition  of  talent  for 
one  so  young,  and  the  artistic  and  correct  manner  in  which  she  rendered 
Casta  Diva,  certainly  a  most  difficult  essay  for  any  singer,  was  a  complete 
surprise  and  pleasure  to  the  large  and  critical  audience.  After  the  most 
careful  observations,  and  being  thoroughl}'  convinced  of  her  superiority,  Mr. 
Underner  finally  decided  that  a  European  school  of  finish  was  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  perfection  of  so  remarkable  a  voice.  Accordingly  it 
was  decided  that  a  fund  should  be  raised  by  subscription  among  the  manj' 
friends  who  knew  and  fully  appreciated  her  extraordinarj^  talent.  The 
subscription  was  generous,  and  had  reached  the  sum  of  $1,500,  when  the 
projected  plan  was  given  up  by  reason  of  the  munificent  ofier  of  Mr.  A. 
B.  Hough,  of  Cleveland,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  culture,  who,  in 
thorough  appreciation  of  the  j-oung  artist's  merits,  without  solicitation 
or  reserve,  assumed  the  whole  expense  of  her  European  study.  At  Mr. 
Hough's  suggestion,  her  teacher  decided  to  accompany  her  to  Paris  and 
see  her  set  aright  in  the  line  of  study  he  had  projected. 

A  farewell  benefit  was  arranged  for  Monday-  evening,  Sept.  28, 
1874,  which  proved  a  magnificent  success.  And  in  a  few  days  a  party  of 
friends  accompanied  her  to  New  York  to  await  the  sailing  of  the  steamer. 
By  the  advice  of  Sir  Jules  Benedict,  Miss  von  EUsner  went  to  study  with 
Mme.  Viardot  in  Paris.  In  a  year's  time  she  mastered  the  operas,  A'ida, 
Migfion,  Sonnaiubiila,  Hamlet,  The  Marriage  of  Figaro  and  The  Barber 
of  Seville.  Her  debut  was  made  with  Col.  Mapleson's  company  at  Drury 
Lane,  London,  Maj-  20,  1876.  She  was  cast  for  the  role  of  "  Isabella  "  in 
Robert  Ic  Viable,  with  Nilsson  as  "Alice."  Her  singing  was  highly 
praised,  but  criitcism  was  made  of  her  acting.  She  returned  to  Paris  and 
studied  with  La  Grange,  also  devoting  attention  to  the  study  of  acting. 
Of  her  subsequent  appearance  in  opera,  the  New  York  Graphic  cor- 
respondent wrote  of  her: 

"The  success  of  Litta  was  immediate  and  complete.  The  dramatic 
training  received  from  La  Grange  had  done  wonders  for  her.  She  took 
Paris  by  storm.  The  rest  of  her  history  is  public.  In  the  course  of  three 
years  she  has  taken  the  front  rank  among  Ij'ric  artists.  Her  wonderful 
voice  is  sought  everj'where,  and  engagements  are  oflfered  without  number. " 

Litta  returned  from  Europe  in  October,  1878,  her  first  engagement 
in  her  native  country  being  under  the  auspices  of  Max  Strakosch,  Clara 
I<ouise  Kellogg  being  the  other  star  of  the  company.     Her  first  operatic 

194 


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appearance  of  importance  in  this  country  was  made  at  IVIcVicker's  theatre, 
Chicago,  Nov.  i6,  1878,  and  she  achieved  a  triumph  as  "Lucia"  in 
Donizetti's  opera.  After  continuing  for  some  time  under  the  management 
of  Strakosch,  Litta  made  an  engagement  with  M.  Henry  L.  Slayton,  of 
Chicago,  to  act  as  her  manager,  and  with  him  she  remained  until  her 
death.  During  the  last  five  years  of  her  life  Litta  sang  almost  constantly. 
She  was  honorably  anxious  to  pay  the  debt  incurred  to  those  who  had 
advanced  the  means  whereby  she  received  her  musical  education,  and  at 
the  same  time  a  family  of  brothers  and  sisters  were,  in  the  main,  dependent 
upon  her  for  support.  She  persisted  in  carrying  out  her  engagements 
until  she  literally  had  to  be  carried  upon  the  stage,  but  finally  she  was 
taken  to  her  home  in  Bloomington,  111.,  where,  after  lingering  four  weeks, 
she  died  of  spinal  meningitis.  Litta  was  not  only  a  brilliant  artist,  but 
she  was  a  noble  and  unselfish  woman,  and  her  untimely  taking  off  was 
lamentable,  not  only  to  her  many  warm  friends,  but  to  all  lovers  of  pure 
art  and  true  musical  genius. 

* 

Miss  Ella  Russell. 

The  popular  singer  is  a  native  of  Cleveland,  O.  She  studied  there 
for  five  3'ears  with  Mr.  John  Undemer,  and  under  his  careful  instruction 
she  laid  the  broad  foundation  of  her  musical  education.  She  then  went 
to  Paris  and  studied  with  Mme.  Anna  de  la  Grange  (Countess  Stankie- 
vich),  a  former  pupil  of  Rossini,  while  the  development  of  her  dramatic 
powers  was  directed  by  Prof.  Edouard  Plaque,  of  the  Grand  Opera  at 
Paris.  Mile.  Russell's  finst  appearance  on  the  lyric  stage  was  made  in 
Prato,  in  Tuscany,  in  the  early  part  of  1882,  where  she  sang  the  part  of 
"Leonora  "  in  //  Trovaforc,  her  extensive  register,  the  delightful  freshness 
of  her  voice  and  the  brilliancy  of  her  execution  at  once  securing  her  a 
prominent  position  among  operaticartists.  She  was  subsequently  heard 
in  Florence,  in  Turin,  at  Milan,  where  she  sang  at  La  Scala,  and  in  other 
Italian  towns,  and  the  succeeding  j-ear  she  made  a  professional  tour  in 
Spain,  with  the  celebrated  tenor,  Tamberlik,  meeting  with  success  in 
Madrid,  Barcelona,  Valencia,  Cadiz  and  other  Spanish  cities.  Then  she 
began  a  series  of  triumphs  in  the  north  of  Europe,  visiting  successivel}' 
Vienna,  Budapest,  Berlin,  Moscow  and  other  important  places. 

Her  first  appearance  in  England  was  made  at  the  Covent  Garden 
opera  house  in  May,  1886,  then  under  the  management  of  Signer  Lago, 
and  she  selected  for  her  debut  the  part  of  "  Gilda  "  in  \'erdi's  Rigolctto, 
a  role  in  which  she  at  once  created  a  very  marked  impression,  her  phe- 
nomenally high  voice,  the  truthfulness  of  her  intonation,  the  excellence  of 
her  method  aiul  her  great  dramatic  intelligence  promptly  securing  her 


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the  favor  of  the  London  musical  public.  Since  that  period  she  has 
returned  to  the  Covent  Garden  opera  house  regularly  each  season,  and  on 
the  first  night  of  the  current  series  of  operatic  performances  in  that  build- 
ing, now  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Augustus  Harris,  she  undertook  the 
part  of  "L,eila"  in  the  production  of  the  Italian  version  of  Bizet's  Les 
Pecheitrs  de  Pcrles.  Mdlle.  Russell  has  a  verj-  extensive  repertorj',  the 
artist  having,  since  she  commenced  her  professional  career,  appeared  in 
the  leading  soprano  parts  in  some  thirty  operas,  in  all  of  which  she  has 
acqiiired  considerable  renown.  She  has  also  sung  at  the  state  concerts  at 
Buckingham  palace,  at  the  Philharmonic  Society's  concerts,  and  at  the 
Saturday  classical  concerts  at  the  Crystal  palace.  Her  kindly  and  gen- 
erous nature  has  secured  her  a  very  wide  circle  of  admirers  in  this  coun- 
try, and  the  gifted  singer  appears  to  have  before  her  a  prosperous  and 
brilliant  artistic  career. 

Miss  Alice  Ryan. 

This  talented  young  lady  is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Thomas  Ryan, 
widely  known  throughout  the  United  States,  from  his  connection  with 
the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  of  Boston,  and  of  which  he  is  the  only 
surviving  original  member.  Miss  Rj'an's  musical  temperament  was  there- 
fore a  hereditary  gift.  She  commenced  the  study  of  music  at  an  early 
age,  taking  vocal  lessons  under  Mrs.  Hall  and  Mr.  Winch,  of  Boston. 
Her  first  instruction  was  upon  piano,  but  later  vocal  cultivation  was 
entered  upon,  and  it  was  to  Mr.  Winch  that  she  owed  the  first  apprecia- 
tion of  her  distidguished  vocal  capabilities.  Her  voice  having  been 
found  worthy  of  the  best  methods  of  development  and  training  obtain- 
able, she  was  sent  to  Paris  for  a  course  of  study  under  the  celebrated 
Mme.  Marchesi.  Returning  home,  she  sang  an  entire  season  with  the 
Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  and  at  the  end  returned  to  Marchesi  in  Paris, 
where  she  received  the  finishing  lessons  necessar>^  to  complete  her  equip- 
ment for  her  vocation.  Miss  Ryan  is  extremely  well  cultivated  in  the 
best  vocal  schools,  but  is  more  at  home  in  the  modern  French  school  than 
any  other.  Besides  a  skillfully  cultivated  voice,  she  is  a  thoroughly  good 
musician,  and  in  every  respect  a  natural  artist.  No  doubt  she  will  in  the 
near  future  attain  a  high  position  among  the  many  vocalists  who  have 
illustrated  America  in  this  field  of  the  musical  art. 

Mme.  Julie  Rosewald. 
Mme.  Julie   Rosewald  was  born   at  Stuttgart  in  1850,  of  a  highly 
musical  family  named  Eichberg,  of  which  Mr.  Julius  Eichberg,  of  Boston, 
is  also  a  member,  as  well  as  Prof  Anton  Eichberg,  of  the  Royal  Conserv- 
atory of  Berlin.     Two  of  her  sisters  distinguished  themselves  upon  the 


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piano  and  harp  respectively,  but  the  former  left  concert  life  upon  her 
marriage,  and  the  latter  died  just  as  her  career  was  beginning.  Julie  was 
educated  at  the  conservatory  of  Stuttgart  and  in  the  Royal  Theatre  school 
there.  The  latter  position  was  a  high  distinction,  since  but  two  candi- 
dates annually  were  selected  by  the  king  from  the  most  promising  voices 
in  the  conservatory.  When  fifteen  j-ears  old  her  mother  sent  her  to  visit 
some  relatives  in  Baltimore,  in  order  to  break  her  connection  with  the 
German  stage.  At  her  married  sister's  house  she  met  Mr.  I.  H.  Rose- 
wald,  a  young  Baltimorean,  conductor  of  several  musical  societies,  violin- 
ist and  composer,  whom  she  married  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  She  then 
began  to  appear  at  concerts  with  great  success,  and  a  year  later,  at  her 
earnest  request,  was  sent  to  Europe  to  complete  her  musical  education. 
There  she  placed  herself  under  the  direction  of  the  celebrated  Marie  von 
Marra,  then  residing  at  Frankfort,  At  the  end  of  her  studies  she  was 
invited  by  the  great  song  writer,  Franz  Abt,  to  accompany  him  to  this 
countr}^  in  order  to  interpret  his  songs  in  his  concerts  here.  In  1875 
Mr.  C.  D.  Hess  heard  her  sing  at  Baltimore,  and  insisted  upon  her  adopt- 
ing the  operatic  stage,  and  accordingly,  after  considerable  opposition  on 
the  part  of  her  relatives,  she  made  her  debut  at  Toronto  in  1875,  as  "  Mar- 
guerite ' '  in  Faust.  She  achieved  a  great  success,  and  was  immediately 
engaged  to  go  to  California  with  the  company,  at  the  liberal  salary  of 
$1503  week.  Within  four  weeks  she  had  a  repertoire  of  fifteen  operas. 
In  the  spring  of  1877  she  went  again  to  California  in  the  company  of  Mr. 
Hess,  and  appeared  as  "  Senta"  in  The  Flying  Dutchman,  the  first  represent- 
ative of  the  part  seen  upon  the  Pacific  coast.  In  the  following  years  she 
sang  in  Europe,  but  returned  to  America  in  order  to  accept  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Abbott  company  in  1880,  and  remained  with  it  for  three 
years.  She  withdrew  from  the  stage  in  1884  and  located  with  her 
husband  in  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  where  she  lives  as  teacher  of  singing 
and  concert  artist. 

AUGUSTO    ROTOLI. 

This  distinguished  master  of  singing  and  the  art  of  music  was  bom 
at  Rome,  Jan.  7,  1847.  His  father  dying  while  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  still  a  small  boy,  his  early  days  were  spent  amid  limited  circum- 
stances, of  which  little  more  than  the  memor}^  of  his  mother's  tenderness 
remains  to  him.  At  the  age  of  nine  he  entered  the  Hospice  of  San 
Michele,  and  was  presently  selected  as  one  of  the  choir  boys  for  the 
Lateran  and  Liberian  chapels.  At  the  end  of  two  months  he  made  his 
debut  as  soloist  at  the  Julian  chapel  of  St.  Peter's,  his  aria  being  the  Ave, 
Rcgina  Ccclorum,  of  Tornelli.  To  use  his  own  language  :  "  M3'  love,  my 
passion,  for  music  dates  from  that  moment."     He  was  in  demand  for  all 


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the  cathedrals,  singing  at  masses  anJ  vespers,  and  in  the  sacred  melo- 
dramas at  the  Academy  of  Music.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he  was  regularly 
engaged  as  singer  at  St.  Peter's,  at  a  monthly  stipend.  "  Oh,  how  happy 
I  was,"  he  says,  "  when  I  took  the  first  money  earned  by  my  beloved  art 
to  my  poor  mother  !  "  In  this  position  he  spent  five  ^-ears,  learning  the 
tradition  of  the  venerable  masterpieces  of  Italian  art,  the  music  of  Pales- 
trina,  Porpora,  Pergolese  and  the  other  favorite  masters  of  Roman  ecclesi- 
astical song. 

When  he  lost  his  natural  soprano  voice  he  devoted  himself  still  more 
assiduousl}^  to  the  principles  of  the  art  of  music,  his  main  instructor  being 
Ludovico  Luchesi.  Under  his  direction  he  worked  with  indefatigable 
zeal,  and  at  length,  by  public  examination,  obtained,  in  1868,  the  title 
and  position  of  Master  in  the  Academy  of  St.  Caecilia.  He  was  also 
organist,  and  composed  and  conducted  sacred  music  with  great  success. 
There  he  instituted  the  Lenten  choral  concerts,  which  are  still  maintained 
with  considerable  of  their  former  prestige.  From  this  time  his  work  con- 
tinually broadened  in  its  field,  and  the  number  of  his  pupils  grew  contin- 
ually larger  and  larger.  Meantime  his  compositions  were  making  him 
known  in  other  cities  and  countries,  and  in  1873  the  queen  of  Portugal, 
wishing  to  express  her  appreciation  of  his  services  to  art,  bestowed  upon 
him  the  insignia  of  the  Order  of  the  Cross.  In  1876  he  visited  London  for 
the  first  time,  but  his  fame  had  preceded  him,  and  Mr.  Henrj-  Leslie  made 
him  the  conductor  of  his  choir  in  two  concerts  where  the  music  of  the 
greatest  Italian  masters  was  performed.  His  compositions  were  published 
by  the  Ricordi  in  Milan,  and  found  a  wide  sale.  The  best  are  Bcncdidus, 
for  solo  voices,  and  a  Funeral  Psalm,  for  baritone  solo,  chorus  and 
orchestra.  In  1885  Signer  Rotoli  accepted  the  call  of  the  New  England 
Conservatory  to  come  to  Boston  and  represent  in  their  course  the  best 
traditions  of  Italian  art.  He  gave  a  farewell  concert  in  Rome,  which  was 
a  remarkable  occasion.  The  beautiful  theatre  of  Costanzi  was  resplen- 
dent with  the  aristocrac}-  of  the  citj-,  headed  b}'  the  queen.  Signor  Rotoli 
was  recalled  time  and  time  again,  and  was  the  recipient  of  innumerable 
testimonials.  In  Boston  the  same  success  has  attended  him.  He  has  a 
fine  tenor  voice,  rich,  expressive  and  highly  cultivated. 

Emilio  Agrajionte. 

This  distinguished  artist,  one  of  New  York's  most  successful  vocal 
teachers,  was  born  at  Puerto  Principe,  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  in  1844,  ^"d 
comes  of  an  illustrious  family.  His  father  intended  that  he  should  join 
the  legal  profession,  and  sent  him  to  Madrid  to  study  law,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  degree  of  LL.  D.     He  had,  however,  an  artistic  temperament, 


and  commenced  the  study  of  music,  in  which  he  soon  became  proficient, 
going  to  Paris,  where  he  studied  the  piano  under  Marmontel  and  composi- 
tion with  Maiden.  He  also  studied  singing  in  Paris  with  Delle  Sedie  and 
in  Madrid  with  Selva.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1869,  and  at  once  oc- 
cupied a  prominent  position  in  the  art  life  of  the  metropolis.  He  was  im- 
mediately elected  musical  conductor  of  the  Eight  o' Clock  Musical  Club, 
and  he  originated  the  Amateur  Operatic  Club,  with  which  he  successfully 
produced  seven  acts  of  as  many  different  operas..  Mr.  Agramonte  also 
produced  and  directed  the  fourth  act  of  La  Favorita,  two  acts  of  Trovatore, 
the  opera  oi  V  Ombre,  by  Flotow,  and  the  fourth  act  oi  Ernani.  He  has 
successfull}'  trained  and  conducted  several  choral  societies,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent conductor  of  the  Gounod  Choral  Society,  of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  which 
produced  for  the  first  time  in  this  country,  and,  under  his  direction,  Mas- 
sanet's  Eve.  He  has  had  a  remarkable  success  as  a  vocal  teacher,  and 
among  his  pupils  who  have  achieved  distinction  are  Mr.  Geo.  Sweet,  Miss 
Gertrude  Franklin,  Miss  Gertrude  Griswold,  Mr.  Coletti,  Mr.  Wilkie  and 
Mile.  Mendes,  now  a  prima  donna  in  France. 

In  1886  Mr.  Agramonte  gave  six  matinees  at  Chickering  hall,  devoted 
to  the  production  of  new  compositions  by  European  and  American  com- 
posers, he  being  one  of  the  first  to  recognize  and  encourage  the  movement 
to  give  American  composers  a  fair  hearing.  At  these  matinees  he  produced 
several  compositions  of  E.  A.  Macdowell,  also  a  delightful  set  of  songs, 
Floivers  of  an  Old  Garden,  of  Chadwick.  Arthur  Foote  and  others.  His 
name  has  been  brought  prominently  before  the  public  in  connection  with 
the  proposed  erection  of  a  new  opera  house  on  Fifth  avenue,  intended  to 
occupy  the  same  relation  to  this  city  as  the  Opera  Comique  to  Paris,  a  per- 
manent house  for  opera  sung  in  the  language  of  the  country-.  He  recog- 
nizes the  important  fact  that  it  is  indispensably  requisite  that  opera 
must  be  sung  in  the  language  of  the  people  upon  whom  it  must  depend 
for  support.  Mr.  Agramonte  is  acknowledged  to  be  one  of  the  best  accom- 
panists in  America,  and  also  one  of  the  best  sight  readers,  having  estab- 
lished three  clubs,  one  in  New  York,  one  in  Detroit  and  one  in  Grand 
Rapids,  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  proficiencj^  in  sight  reading,  in  which 
he  takes  a  deep  interest. 

Pauline  L'Allemand. 

Few  people,  even  in  the  musical  world,  seem  to  know  that  this 
bright  young  star  of  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company  is  an  American  by 
birth  and  "raising."  Pauline  Ellhasser  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y., 
but  went  to  Germany  when  she  was  only  fourteen,  and  entered  the 
National  Conservatory  at  Dresden.     At  that  time  she  had  no  further  end 


/>c^^    Cc^^ 


in  sight  than  to  obtain  concert  and  church  engagements  on  her  return  to 
America.  She  pursued  with  ardor  the  difficult  studies  of  the  conserva- 
tor}-, music,  declamation,  acting,  fencing,  calisthenics,  phrasing,  scales 
and  harmony,  with  no  amusements  and  but  little  variation,  until  one  day 
a  happy  accident  discovered  the  secret  of  her  rare  voice.  Some  of  the 
elder  pupils  were  to  sing  before  the  impresarios  of  the  smaller  opera 
houses  in  cities  around  Dresden,  and  one  girl,  who  was  a  great  friend  of 
Pauline,  wanted  her  to  be  present  in  order  to  give  her  the  courage  neces- 
sary for  the  trial.  Pauline  contrived  to  get  in  the  big  room,  where  the 
examination  took  place,  and  was  trying  to  smuggle  herself  out  in  com- 
pany with  the  other  girls  when  her  presence  was  detected  by  one  of  the 
committee,  the  impresario  of  a  royal  German  theatre  near  the  city.  The 
teacher  w-as  angry,  but  the  director  wanted  her  to  sing,  and  finally  she 
sang  several  exercises  with  such  effect  that  the  impresario  stopped  her,  before 
she  had  gone  far,  saying:  "  You  are  engaged  for  my  theatre,  and  I  will 
pay  jou  one  hundred  marks  more  than  I  intended  to  paj'  the  singer  I 
came  here  to  engage."     This  was  in  June. 

In  the  following  November,  when  she  was  only  seventeen  years  old, 
she  made  her  first  appearance  in  grand  opera  (  Don  Juan  ),  at  the  Royal 
Theatre  in  Konigsburg.  Her  flute-like  voice  brought  her  success  at 
once.  But  there  was  one  great  difficulty.  She  knew  little  German. 
There  was  only  one  thing  to  do  —  to  learn  her  role  by  heart,  and  so  day 
after  day  she  passed  hours  with  her  teachers,  till  at  last  she  knew  the 
longest  and  most  difficult  operatic  roles  word  for  w^ord  while  still  ignorant 
of  German  enough  to  carry  on  a  conversation.  Just  about  this  time  she 
fell  in  love  with  a  handsome  young  actor  named  L'Allemand;  they  were 
engaged  in  a  month  and  married  in  London  the  following  year.  The 
young  singer  was  beginning  to  be  known.  She  had  scored  distinct  suc- 
cesses in  Lucia,  Sonnambida,  The  Barber  of  Seville,  and  some  lighter 
operas  of  Mozart  and  Rubinstein.  Next  j^ear  she  put  herself  under  the 
tutelage  of  the  celebrated  Mme.  de  la  Grange,  at  Paris,  retaining  her 
maiden  name.  The  teacher  was  profoundly  interested  in  her  remarkable 
pupil,  and  had  made  arrangements  for  her  appearance  at  the  Grand 
Opera,  when  suddenly  Pauline  decided  to  leave  for  Frankfort  and  sing  in 
opera  there,  because  her  husband  was  to  play  in  the  same  company. 
Love  was  stronger  than  ambition.  She  left  Mme.  de  la  Grange  with- 
out a  word  of  explanation,  and  as  she  afterward  returned  to  Paris  under 
the  name  of  L'Allemand,  never  again  using  her  maiden  name,  it  is  said 
that  to  this  day  Mme.  de  la  Grange  does  not  know  the  identity  of  the 
pupil  who  so  strangely  disappeared  from  her  that  day.  Pauline  was  sub- 
sequently a  pupil  of   Mme.   Viardot  Garcia,    the   famous   teacher    and 


once  great  singer.  But  as  Mme.  Garcia  and  JMnie.  de  la  Grange  then, 
were  bitter  enemies  it  was  almost  impossible  that  the  latter  should  hear 
anything  of  her  mj-sterious  pupil  from  the  former  source. 

The  first  appearance  of  Pauline  L'AUemand  in  America  was  made 
with  the  National  Opera  Company.  She  won  immediate  and  striking 
success  in  Delibes'  Lakmc,  a  role  which  she  studied  under  tlie  personal 
guidance  of  the  composer.  She  is  said  to  be  the  only  singer  the  com- 
poser has  ever  found  who  can  carry  and  sustain  certain  notes  in  the 
bell  song  as  he  originally  intended.  Mme.  L'AUemand  will  sing  for 
another  season  with  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company,  with  which  she 
won  such  praise  last  year,  and  as  she  has  by  no  means  lost  that  early 
ambition  w^hich  led  her  to  success  in  her  arduous  career,  despite  more 
than  ordinary  difficulties,  we  can  only  anticipate  that  her  path  will  lead 
from  victory  to  victor>'  with  ever  widening  horizon  of  fame. 

Carl  Formes. 

This  well  known  bass  singer  belongs  to  a  Spanish  family,  Formes 
de  Varaz,  but  was  born  Aug.  7,  18 10,  at  Miihlheim,  a  little  village  on 
the  Rhine,  opposite  Cologne.  His  father  was  the  sacristan  of  the  church, 
and  little  Carl's  first  knowledge  of  music  was  taught  him  by  the  priests, 
from  whom  he  learned  the  Gregorian  chants.  Upon  this,  as  it  seems  to 
us  to-day,  frail  foundation,  he  built  up  a  thorough  musical  education. 
He  first  sang  in  opera  at  Cologne,  when  he  was  twentj^-two  years  old, 
gaining  immediate  distinction  as  "  Sarastro,"  in  Zauberflotc.  Before  this, 
however,  he  had  sung  in  the  cathedral  at  Cologne  and  at  concerts,  and 
his  talent  was  recognized.  His  success  at  the  "  city  of  the  three  kings  " 
led  to  an  engagement  for  three  years.  While  at  Vienna,  during  this 
period,  he  studied  the  Italian  method  under  Professor  Basodowa,  and  has 
ever  since  pinned  his  faith  to  that.  Formes  came  to  London  in  1849,  ^iid 
sang  as  "Sarastro"  in  a  German  company  at  Drury  Lane. 

The  following  year  he  appeared  at  Covent  Garden  as  ' '  Caspar, ' '  in 
the  Italian  version  of  Dcr  Freischiitz,  and  for  fifteen  years  afterward  he 
was  a  frequent  and  welcome  visitor  to  London.  The  rest  of  his  time  was 
spent  mainly  in  Russia  and  Spain.  He  filled  numerous  parts,  among 
them,  "Bertram,"  "Marcel,*"  "Rocco,"  "Leporello,"  "  Beltramo, "  etc. 

He  came  to  America  in  1857,  and  on  Dec.  2  of  that  year  first 
appeared  at  the  New  York  Academy  of  Music.  He  wandered  wherever 
fancy  led  him  until,  in  1882,  he  married  Pauline  Greenwood,  who  had 
been  a  pupil  of  his  at  Philadelphia.  Shortly  afterward  he  .settled 
in  San  Francisco,  and  he  is  there  now,  engaged  in  teaching  music. 
Formes  is  the  author  of  a  Method  of  Singing,  in  three  volumes,  and  the 


tfimJ^ 


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composer  of  several  pieces  for  the  piano  and  organ,  among  which 
The  Mill  Wheel,  a  version  of  an  old  German  folk  song,  is  about  the  best 
known.  There  are  several  of  his  pupils  who  have  won  laurels.  Joseph- 
ine Simon  was  one  of  them,  who,  a  debutante,  fifteen  years  old,  appeared 
as  concert  prima  donna  at  the  Royal  Albert  hall,  London.  Formes, 
although  sevent^'-nine  years  of  age,  is  a  hard  worker,  giving  fifteen  or 
sixteen  lessons  a  day,  and  retaining  his  wonderful  voice  perfectly.  Our 
portrait  of  him  was  taken  at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  and  apparently  it 
represents  a  man  of  not  more  than  fifty.  His  voice  is  a  magnificent 
bass,  and,  like  all  great  bass  singers.  Formes  is  a  man  of  fine  appearance. 
His  compass  is  from  upper  F  to  lower  C,  and  probabl}-  few  men  have 
had  such  gift  of  vocal  power  joined  to  so  marked  an  ability  for  the  stage. 
He  now  has  a  plan  on  foot  for  inducing  some  European  capitalists  to 
erect  a  conservatory  in  this  countrj',  modeled  on  lines  which  Formes  has 
laid  down. 

Lillian  Norton- Gower 

Is  better  known  as  Lillian  Nordica.  She  was  born  at  Farmington, 
Me.,  but  her  parents  removed  to  Boston  when  she  was  only  five  j^ears  of 
age.  She  was  educated  in  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music,  and 
shortly  afterward  made  an  extensive  concert  tour  through  America,  sing- 
ing at  various  places  with  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  and  with 
Theodore  Thomas'  orchestra.  During  her  tour  of  Europe,  which  followed, 
she  won  high  favor  as  a  concert  singer,  leading  her  to  attempt  an  operatic 
career.  She  made  up  her  mind  to  this  course  at  Milan,  and  in  six  weeks 
had  committed  ten  operas  to  memory.  She  appeared  first  at  Brescia, 
Aquila  and  Genoa,  afterward  going  on  to  St.  Petersburg,  where,  in  her 
performance  of  the  role  of  "  Filina  "  in  Mignon,  she  made  her  first  marked 
success.  In  1881  she  again  visited  Paris  and  sang  before  Ambroise 
Thomas  and  the  impresario,  Vancorbeil,  who  engaged  her  for  the  Grand 
Opera  house.  After  a  short  tour  in  Italy  she  began  her  Paris  season  and 
made  her  debut  2!  the  Grand  Opera  as  "  Marguerite  "  in  Gounod's  Faust. 
The  critical  Parisian  public  received  her  with  open  arms.  A  writer  in  the 
Figaro  said:  "  It  was  a  great  moment  when  Mile.  Nordica  appeared 
under  the  tall  trees,  and  after  she  had  spoken,  in  the  midst  of  an  absolute 
silence,  the  famous  phrase,  '  Non,  monsieur;  je  ne  suis  demoiselle  ni 
belle,  et  je  n'ai  pas  besoin  qu'on  me  donne  la  main,"  the  applause  burst 
out;  the  Marguerite  was  found,  judged  and  accepted.  The  rest  showed 
that  Mile.  Nordica  had  serioush^  studied  the  role  and  fullj^  understood  her 
part."  The  same  critic,  speaking  of  that  grand  trio  in  the  fifth  act, 
"  Anges  purs,  anges  radieux!  "  pays  tribute  to  Miss  Norton's  magnificent 
voice,   which  carried  and  sustained  the  notes   ' '  naturally  and  without 


effort."  Her  American  accent  at  that  time  was  traceable,  but  it  rather 
lent  a  piquanc}'^  to  her  tones,  and  after  a  while  the  accent  was  unnotice- 
able.  She  is  as  good  an  actress  as  she  is  a  singer.  Her  features  are  bet- 
ter than  regular;  they  are  expressive.  Both  in  acting  and  singing  she 
loses  sight  of  her  own  personality  and  abandons  herself  utterly  to  her 
art.  She  made  an  engagement  for  three  years  at  the  Grand  Opera,  at  the 
end  of  which  she  was  engaged  by  Col.  Mapleson  for  Her  Majesty's  theatre, 
London.  It  was  under  his  management  that  she  first  appeared  in  Amer- 
ica at  the  Academy  of  Music,  New  York.  She  has  an  enormous  reper- 
toire —  about  forty  different  operas,  any  one  of  which  she  can  sing  at  three 
days'  notice,  but  "  Marguerite,"  her  initial  character,  is  undoubtedly  her 
strongest  role. 

Lillian  Russell. 

Who  does  not  know  prettj^  Lillian  Russell,  cleverest  of  light  opera 
singers  of  our  daj-,  and  queen  of  comic  opera  for  six  or  eight  years  past  ? 
If  one  could  only  double  the  "  1 "  in  the  name  of  Tennyson's  heroine  the 
song  might  have  been  written  for  our  dainty  comedy  queen  —  Airy, 
Fairy  Lilian.  The  old  saying:  "A  prophet  (or,  rather,  a  man  playing  a 
part,  as  the  Hebrew  word  means)  hath  honor  save  in  his  own  country', " 
apparently  does  not  always  apply  to  the  feminine  members  of  that  com- 
munity, for  Lillian  Russell  was  born  in  1861  in  Chicago,  and  in  Chicago 
receives  not  her  coldest  welcome.  She  spent  nine  years  in  the  convent  of 
the  Sacred  Heart,  and  was  educated  from  childhood  for  a  musical  career 
under  the  careful  direction  of  Mme.  Vaili,  a  noted  vocal  teacher  in  the 
cit}'.  Her  bent  lay  wholly  toward  grand  opera,  and  friends  and  relatives 
fostered  this  ambitior 

Her  first  engagement,  however,  when  she  was  not  more  than  seven- 
teen, was  with  Rice's  Pinafore  company',  in  New  York,  but  it  was  brief; 
at  the  end  of  two  months  she  married  the  musical  conductor  and  retired 
from  the  stage.  She  was  still  living  in  New  York,  when  one  day  Tony 
Pastor,  whose  theatre  was  at  that  time  in  Broadway,  opposite  Niblo's 
Garden,  overheard  Miss  Russell  taking  a  singing  lesson.  He  found  out 
who  she  was,  met  her  and  offered  her  $50  a  week  —  a  large  salar\'  in  those 
days  —  to  sing  ballads  at  his  theatre.  Her  acceptance  was  her  first  step 
on  the  road  to  fame.  She  sang  The  Kerry  Dance,  Twickenham  Ferry,  and 
such  English  ballads.  They  were  new,  perhaps  not  of  the  highest  art, 
but,  with  Lillian  Russell's  added  charm  of  manner,  irresistible.  In  spite 
of  offers  from  other  managers  she  remained  with  Pastor  for  several  months, 
then  went  with  Col.  John  A.  McCaull,  and  made  her  debut  in  light  opera  in 
The  Snake  Charmer,  then  playing  in  New  York.  Her  success  could  not 
have  been  more  complete.     She  had  found  her  rightful  domain,  and  she 


still  reigns  sovereign.  Mme.  Cappiani  was  Miss  Russell's  teacher  in  New 
York,  and  she  worked  hard  to  perfect  herself.  Wilkie  Collins  once  said 
that  genius  was  the  art  of  taking  infinite  pains.  Miss  Russell  recognized 
this;  she  was  conscientious  and  painstaking,  and  her  efforts,  helped  by- 
accident  and  seconded  by  opportunity,  have  placed  her  in  the  front  rank 
of  her  profession. 

Many  leading  roles  in  light  opera  have  been  in  this  country  created 
by  her.  For  instance,  Virginia,  Billce  Taylor,  Polly,  Pcpita,  Dorothy,  The 
OuceJi' s  Mate,  the  "  Princess  "  in  Nadjy,  and  "  Fiorella,"  in  The  Brigands. 
She  is  not  less  favorabl}'  known  in  England  than  in  America.  Virginia 
at  the  Gaiety^,  and  Polly  at  the  Novelty  theatre  in  London,  had  long  and 
successful  runs.  The  Casino,  in  New  York,  owns  her  its  queen  of  comic 
opera.  In  1888-89  Nadjy  had  a  run  of  two  hundred  nights  at  the  Casino, 
and  this  was  followed  by  The  Brigands,  for  her  singing  in  which  she 
receives  $20,000  a  year.  Miss  Russell  has  formed  for  us  an  ideal  in  her 
particular  roles.  Who  that  has  ever  seen  her  in  Nadjy  can  think  of  the 
opera  without  her  ?  It  would  be  like  Hamlet  with  the  name-character 
omitted.  Personally  she  is  pretty,  vocally  she  is  perfect,  and  there  is  an 
indefinable  charm  about  her  acting  that  compels  attention.  A  prominent 
theatrical  manager  once  remarked,  and  we  believe  without  exaggeration, 
that  Lillian  Russell  "has  brought  more  profit  to  the  theaters  with  which 
she  has  been  connected  than  anj^  other  woman  in  her  generation. ' '  Woman- 
like, she  is  superstitious,  and  is  partial  to  turquoises,  the  stone  marking 
her  birth  month.  She  is  now  twenty-eight  years  old,  and  is  doing  some 
of  the  best  work  she  has  ever  done  in  her  life;  there  is  everj-  reason  to 
think  that  her  success  in  new  roles  will  equal,  if  not  surpass,  that  of 
the  past. 

Off  the  stage  she  is  quiet,  almost  reserved,  but  pleasant  and  piquant 
in  conversation.  ' '  The  world, ' '  she  declares,  ' '  or  some  of  it,  has  a  fancy, 
I  imagine,  that  my  existence  is  a  royal  life,  full  of  diamonds  and  cham- 
pagne, of  bright  people  and  joyous  gatherings  after  the  stage  lights  are 
out.  Yet  I  live  more  quietly  than  the  average  New  York  woman  who 
goes  to  the  theatre  once  a  week  and  enjoys  her  cosey  luncheon  after  the 
curtain  is  rung  down."  It  is  rarely  that  a  variety  actress  retains  so  fast 
a  hold  of  the  popular  favor  as  Lillian  Russell  has  done  during  ten  j-ears 
past,  and  as  she  seems  likelj^  to  do  for  another  ten  years.  It  is  not  often 
that  a  young  girl  cherishing,  and  having  fostered,  the  idea  that  she  will 
one  day  make  a  name  in  grand  opera,  has  the  good  sense  to  see  and  follow 
her  true  path  to  success  by  adopting  a  lighter  role,  and  applying  herself 
to  it  so  ardently  as  not  onlj-  to  win  fame  for  herself  but  to  measurably  raise 
the  standard  of  light  opera  wherever  she  goes. 


It  is  due  to  Miss  Russell  as  a  singer  to  add  that  her  voice  is  a  full, 
rich  soprano,  admirably  cultivated,  and  her  conception  of  recitative  or 
aria  is  worth}'  the  grand  roles  in  which  she  originally  hoped  to  be  heard, 
and  for  which  there  is  still  time,  for  she  is  in  the  full  maturity  of  her  powers. 

Myron  W.  Whitney. 

Ashbury,  Mass.,  claims  the  honor  of  being  the  birthplace  of  Myron 
W.  Whitney,  the  well  known  bass  singer.  He  was  born  in  1836  and 
remained  with  his  parents  until  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  then  removed  to 
Boston,  and,  after  six  years'  tuition  by  E.  H.  Frost,  came  before  the  public 
for  the  first  time  at  a  Christmas  performance  of  The  Messiah  at  Tremont 
Temple.  He  sang  in  various  concerts  for  about  ten  years,  but,  achieving 
no  marked  success,  concluded  that  the  fault  lay  in  his  want  of  adequate  train- 
ing. In  1868  he  went  to  Florence,  where  Luigi  Vannuccini  was  his  master, 
afterward  to  London,  where  Randegger  perfected  him  in  oratorio  singing. 
Whitney  then  made  a  tour  of  Great  Britain  and,  in  the  part  of  "  Elijah  " 
atone  of  the  Birmingham  festivals,  made  immediate  reputation  for  himself. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  in  oratorio  singing  he  has  a  few  rivals. 
Long  and  careful  training  has  made  his  superb  bass  voice,  of  nearly  three 
octaves'  compass,  capable  of  the  rendition  of  the  most  diflScult  roles.  At 
Oxford  University  he  sang  the  part,  as  originally  written,  of  "Poly- 
phemus "  in  Handel's  Acis  and  Galatea.  He  gained  laurels  enough  dur- 
ing this  tour,  and  since  1876  he  has  absolutely  declined  to  go  abroad.  Per- 
haps he  is  best  known  from  his  having  sung  at  many  of  the  May  festivals 
in  Cincinnati,  and  at  New  York,  Chicago,  Boston,  Cleveland,  Pittsburgh, 
Indianapolis,  etc. ,  and  from  traveling  one  or  two  seasons  with  the  Thomas 
orchestra.  Everywhere  he  has  met  with  a  hearty  welcome,  and  has  won 
added  fame.  His  name  is  a  household  word  in  connection  with  many  of 
the  great  oratorios:  Creation,  Messiah,  Elijah,  Last  Judgtnent,  Bach's 
Passion  vomsxc,  Joshua,  SavisoJi,  Israelin  Egypt,  St.  Paul,  Jephtha,  So?i  and 
Stranger,  Eli,  Seasons,  Fridolin,  Twelfth  Night,  etc.  To  have  such  a 
repertoire  as  this  alone  implies  the  possession  of  great  powers,  and  to 
have  won  success  in  all  of  them  the  lot  of  few  singers. 

For  many  seasons  Mr.  Whitney  sang  in  light  opera  not  altogether 
worthy  of  his  magnificent  powers,  but  irresistible  by  reason  of  the  pecun- 
iary inducements  offered.  His  voice  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  present 
generation,  full,  resonant  and  highly  cultivated.  His  delivery  of  recita- 
tive is  manly  and  intelligent  and  his  legato  singing  thoroughly  Italian. 
His  grand  voice,  style  and  presence  were  hardly  ever  put  to  better  use 
than  in  the  role  of  the  king  in  Lohengrin,  which  he  sang  in  the  American 
opera  representations  under  Mr.  Thomas'  baton,  as  the  part  had  never 


been  sung  in  this  country  before.  His  name  will  long  be  an  honored  one 
in  the  annals  of  American  music. 

Mr.  Whitney  has  a  son  who  inherits  much  of  his  talent  and  who, 
like  his  father,  has  a  large  resonant  bass  voice.  He  studied  in  Italy  for 
many  years,  and  had  quite  a  carreer  there  in  opera.  He  is  now  connected 
with  the  New  England  Conservatory  at  Boston. 

During  this  entire  time  of  Mr.  Whitney's  activity  upon  the  Ameri- 
can stage  he  has  had  but  one  conspicuous  rival,  Mr.  Franz  Remmertz,  a 
German,  bom  at  Dusseldorf  about  1845.  He  had  been  intended  for  the 
profession  of  an  architect,  but  his  love  for  singing  and  the  fullness  and 
power  of  his  voice  attracted  attention,  and  he  studied  at  Munich,  and 
made  his  dcbtd  there  as  opera  singer.  In  1869  he  came  to  New  York, 
where  he  has  since  been  prominent  as  a  concert  singer.  Mr.  Remmertz' s 
voice  is  strong  and  somewhat  rugged  in  quality,  and  in  person  he  is  tall 
and  solid.  In  German  circles,  especially,  he  has  been  a  prominent  figure 
at  all  the  Saengerfests,  and  other  large  musical  gatherings,  and  in  New 
York  he  has  a  fine  local  following.  Besides  his  peculiar  fitness  as  a  rep- 
resentative of  great  heroic  roles  in  such  works  as  Max  Bruch's  Frithjof, 
Mr.  Remmertz  is  also  a  pleasing  singer  of  German  lieder,  and  an 
accomplished  musician  in  general. 

L.  A.  Phelps. 

This  well  known  vocal  teacher  is  the  Director  of  the  Vocal  Depart- 
ment of  the  Chicago  Musical  College.  He  was  bom  at  Burlington,  Vt., 
in  1854.  Possessing  a  rare  vocal  gift,  and  an  ambition  for  musical  dis- 
tinction, he  came  to  the  Chicago  Musical  College  for  instruction,  and  was 
one  of  its  first  graduates,  in  1870.  Not  yet  satisfied,  and  desirous  of  the 
highest  equipment  for  a  musical  career,  he  went  to  Europe  in  1874,  and 
there,  during  two  years  at  Leipzig  and  four  years  in  Italy,  completed  his 
musical  studies,  including  among  his  preceptors  the  eminent  instructors 
Francesco  Lamperti  and  Luigi  Vannuccini.  He  made  his  dcbid  on  the 
operatic  stage  in  Faust,  at  Savagliano,  and  achieved  a  gratifying  success 
on  his  first  appearance.  Being  thus  brought  into  notice,  he  spent  several 
successful  years  in  opera,  and  finally  became  a  member  of  the  Carlotta 
Patti  company.  In  1880  he  returned  to  America,  and  has  been  promi- 
nently engaged  in  vocal  teaching  in  the  westem  metropolis  during  the  past 
nine  years,  being  now  a  principal  professor  in  the  institution  from  which 
he  took  his  first  diploma.  Many  of  the  brightest  ornaments  of  the  vocal 
theatre  of  American  musical  accomplishment,  both  professional  and  ama- 
teur,' have  been  pupils  under  his  instruction,  and  are  proud  to  acknowl- 
edge him  the  foundation  of  their  musical  skill. 

216 


M.  EsTELLE  Ford 
Is  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Lucius  Barney,  and  was  born  at  Cleveland, 
Jan.  28,  1858.  Her  musical  ability  as  a  child  was  remarkable.  At  the 
age  of  twelve,  while  her  family  were  living  at  Lousville,  Ka*.  ,  she  made 
her  first  public  appearance  at  a  concert  given  by  the  Oratorio  Society,  and 
when  she  was  onlj'  fifteen  she  played  the  organ  and  led  the  choir  at  the 
old  Disciple  church  on  Franklin  Circle.  Her  musical  education  was 
entirely  obtained  in  Cleveland.  In  1875  she  sang  soprano  in  two  churches 
of  her  native  city,  and  the  following  year  she  made  her  debut  in  opera  in 
The  Elixir  of  Love,  with  great  success.  In  1878  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
S.  C.  Ford,  a  Cleveland  man.  In  March  1879  she  scored  a  great  success 
at  Pittsburgh,  where  she  sang  in  a  concert  by  the  Symphonic  Society, 
and  in  the  winter  of  that  year  she  joined  Haverly's  Church  Choir  Com- 
pany, meeting  with  enthusiastic  receptions  in  Pittsburgh,  Baltimore  and 
Chicago.  In  Februarj^  1880,  she  appeared  in  The  Sorcerer,  at  Detroit, 
and  since  that  time  has  sung  in  Faust  at  Chicago  ;  as  "  Serpolette  "  in  The 
Chimes  of  Nor7nandy  at  Cleveland  and  Toledo;  as  "Leonora,"  in  // 
Trovatore,  with  the  Strakosch  Opera  Company  at  Cleveland  ;  and  after- 
wards in  Pinafore  and  Patieiice  at  Chicago.  Her  voice  is  a  clear,  high 
soprano,  musical  and  sympathetic.  She  has  a  fine  oratoria  and  concert 
repertoire,  very  varied  in  its  character,  and  sings  a  ballad  remarkably 
well. 

Charles  R.  Adams 

Was  born  at  Charlestown,  Mass.,  about  1848.  His  talent  for  music 
was  displayed  at  an  early  age.  His  first  tuition  was  under  Mme.  Arnoult, 
of  Boston,  and  afterwards  he  studied  with  Professor  Mulder.  He  then 
went  to  Europe,  and  at  Vienna  be^^ame  a  pupil  of  Barbiere,  under  whom 
he  made  such  progress  that  he  was  engaged  for  three  years  as  first  tenor 
of  the  Royal  opera  house,  Berlin.  Thence  he  returned  to  Vienna  and  for 
nine  years  was  first  tenor  at  the  Imperial  opera  house.  Since  then  he  has 
sung  at  Covent  Garden,  London;  La  Scala,  Milan;  Royal  opera,  Madrid, 
and  at  many  theatres  in  Germany.  In  this  country  he  sang  in  German 
opera  with  Mme.  Pappenheim,  and  in  Italian  opera  with  the  Strakosch 
company.  He  settled  in  Boston  in  1879,  and  has  remained  there  ever 
since,  engaged  in  teaching  and  singing.  He  is  an  admirable  exponent  of 
Wagnerian  music,  and  has  also  gained  great  reputation  as  an  actor.  He 
has  been  one  of  the  finest  tenors  of  the  present  generation. 

Emma  Nevada. 
Emma  Wixon  was  born  in  Nevada  about  i860,  and  took  her  stage 
name  from   that  state.     Dr.  W.  W.  Wixon,  a  well   known  physician,  is 

21S 


d  C.  7f^^^ 


219 


her  father.  He  apparently  realized  that  there  was  latent  talent  in  the 
child,  for  he  obtained  for  her  the  best  musical  education  possible,  and 
in  1877  sent  her  to  Europe,  where  she  studied  with  Mme  Marchesi  at 
Vienna.  Owing  to  sickness  she  was  unable  to  carry  out  her  first  engage- 
ment, which  was  at  Berlin.  vShe  made  her  debut  under  Colonel  Maple- 
son's  management  in  the  Sonyiainbula  at  London,  in  May,  1880.  In  the 
autumn  of  that  year  she  also  sang  at  Trieste  in  Somiamhila  and  Lucia, 
and  met  with  a  hearty  reception.  Florence,  Leghorn,  Naples,  Rome  and 
Genoa  were  visited  on  this  tour,  and  at  the  last-named  place  Verdi,  hear- 
ing her,  helped  her  to  secure  an  engagement  at  La  Scala,  Milan,  where 
she  sang  for  twenty-one  nights.  Her  appearance  at  Prague,  made  after 
she  had  visited  several  other  Italian  cities,  was  eminently  successful,  and 
in  1883  she  made  her  Parisian  debut.  It  was  the  second  time  that  an 
American  lady  had  sung  at  the  Opera  Comique.  She  has  an  extensive 
repertoire,  which  includes  Lucia,  Sonnambula,  Puritani,  Mig7ion  and 
Faust.  Her  voice  is  of  the  typical  American  range  and  timbre,  clear  and 
telling  in  quality,  and  possessed  of  phenomenally  high  notes.  Withal, 
she  is  a  true  American  girl,  capable  of  any  deed  of  daring  that  her  fancy 
may  dictate,  and,  without  being  in  any  high  sense  an  apostle  of  art  for 
art's  own  sake,  she  is  a  singer  likely  to  be  heard  much  of.  She  was  in 
this  country  at  the  Chicago  opera  festival  in  1885  and  again  in  1889. 

Grace  Hiltz. 

This  talented  soprano  singer  was  born  about  1854,  near  Portland, 
Me.,  and  was  educated  at  Providence,  R.  I.  In  1872  she  came  to  Chicago 
and  commenced  to  studj^  singing  under  the  charge  of  Mrs.  Sara  Hershey- 
Eddy.  After  the  lapse  of  four  years  she  went  to  Boston,  where  she  had 
for  her  masters,  George  L.  Osgood,  Charles  R.  Adams,  Julius  Jordan  and 
Georg  Henschel.  During  this  time  she  filled  a  number  of  concert  engage- 
ments, and  also  sang  in  the  Union  Congregationalist  church  at  Pro\adence, 
R.  I.,  at  a  salary  of  $1,000  a  year.  She  studied  at  Boston  for  nearly  two 
years,  and  there  lay  much  of  the  foundation  in  her  subsequent  success. 
After  a  few  other  important  engagements  she  sang  the  soprano  solo  in 
Y&rdi's  Requiem  at  the  Worcester  festival,  and  left  for  Europe  to  complete 
her  studies.  She  took  lessons  from  Mme.  Viardot-Garcia,  Mme.  La 
Grange  and  Signer  Sbriglia  at  Paris,  where  she  sang  in  public  several  times 
and  met  with  a  favorable  reception.  She  also  encountered  good  success 
in  London,  where  she  filled  several  engagements  as  a  concert  singer.  She 
was  pressed  to  make  a  tour  of  the  English  provinces,  but  this  was  impos- 
sible, as  she  had  engaged  to  sing  at  the  second  Heimendahl  Symphony 
Concert  at  Chicago,  Dec.  19,  1882.     On  her  re-appearance  she  was  greeted 


Emma  Nevada. 


verj'  warmly,  and  has  since  remained  a  prime  favorite  as  a  concert  singer. 
She  has  a  pure,  rich  soprano  voice  of  great  power  and  compass. 

Caroline  Richings-Bernard. 
Caroline  Richings  was  born  in  England  in  1827,  and  when  very 
young  removed  with  her  parents  to  America.  Her  first  appearance  as  a 
pianist  was  made  at  Philadelphia  Nov.  30,  1847.  In  1852  she  sang  for 
the  first  time  in  public  in  La  Fille  dii  Rcsrijncnt,  and  so  successfully  that 
she  obtained  numerous  engagements.  She  continued  to  sing  in  English 
and  Italian  opera  in  America  until  1867.  She  then  married  Mr.  P.  Ber- 
nard, a  tenor  singer,  who  was  evidently  not  a  born  financier.  They  lost 
all  their  monej^,  and  in  1873  an  "Old  Folks  Concert  Company,"  which 
she  had  organized,  also  proved  a  failure.  She  then  taught  music  at  Bal- 
timore and  Richmond,  and  sang  in  the  Mozart  Association  at  the  latter 
place.  In  August,  1881,  she  sang  in  an  operetta  of  her  own,  The  Duchess, 
at  Baltimore.  It  was  her  last  appearance,  and  she  died  of  small-pox  at 
Richmond,  Jan.  14,  1882.  She  was  a  fine  singer,  a  good  actress,  and  her 
death  was  sincerelj^  lamented. 

Marie  Van  Zandt, 
who  was  born  in  1861  in  Texas,  owed  her  early  musical  education  to  her 
mother,  an  excellent  vocalist.  Her  father  was  a  ranch  owner,  and  her 
childhood  was  spent  in  the  open  air  on  the  plains  of  Texas,  where  she 
not  only  gained  a  lot  of  practical  common  sense,  but  a  fine  constitution. 
The  war  put  an  end  to  all  this  happy  life  and  ruined  the  family.  The 
young  singer  now  used  her  talents  to  help  in  the  support  of  home.  She 
was  employed  for  some  time  in  the  East  and  finally  went  to  London, 
meeting  Patti,  who  gave  her  warm  encouragement.  She  studied  first  in 
a  convent  school  there,  and  afterward  with  Lamperti  at  Milan.  Her  first 
engagement  was  for  a  concert  tour  of  Northern  Europe,  in  the  course  of 
which  she  won  quite  a  reputation.  She  was  then  oflFered  and  accepted  an 
engagement  at  the  Opera  Comique,  Paris,  where  she  appeared  in  the  role 
of  Mignou  with  much  success.  Since  that  time  she  has  appeared  in 
several  European  cities  and  in  America,  always  meeting  with  a  cordial 
welcome.  She  is  a  fine  singer,  possessing  a  voice  of  much  sweetness  and 
power  and  carefully  cultivated.  She  is  remarkable  for  the  great  simplicity 
of  her  habits,  gained  no  doubt  during  her  early  life  in  Texas. 

Emm.\  C.  Thursbv. 
This  well  known  concert  singer  was  born  at  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. ,  Nov. 
17,  1857.     Her  first  master  was  Julius  Meyer,  of  Brooklyn,  and  she  after- 
ward studied  with  Signor  Errani,  of  New  York,  and  Mme.  Rudersdorflf, 


Emma  C.  Thursby. 


of  Boston.  It  was  evident  by  this  time  that  she  was  the  possessor  of  a 
good  voice,  and  had  the  musical  abiUty  and  inclination  to  use  it.  So  she 
was  sent  to  Italy,  where  she  studied  for  some  time  under  Lamperti  and 
San  Giovanni.  Her  first  concert  on  her  return  to  this  country  was  given 
at  Plymouth  church,  and  was  highly  successful.  She  continued  to  ap- 
pear in  oratorios  and  concerts,  but  made  no  attempt  at  operatic  singing. 
Her  career  really  began  in  1875,  when  she  was  engaged  bj-  P.  S.  Gilniore 
for  his  popular  summer-night  concerts.  He  was  so  pleased  with  her 
efforts  that  he  offered  her  an  engagement  as  principal  vocalist  on  a  tour 
with  his  military  band.  She  sang  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  the  Union, 
and  meeting  with  a  hearty  welcome  wherever  she  went,  her  fame  grew 
rapidly.  On  the  conclusion  of  this  tour  she  accepted  an  engagement  as 
singer  in  Dr.  Taylor's  church.  New  York,  at  a  yearly  salary  of  ^3,000. 
Afterward,  under  the  management  of  Maurice  Strakosch,  she  made  a  tour 
of  Europe,  and  sang  in  concerts  at  London,  Liverpool,  Paris,  Cologne, 
etc.  She  was  a  great  favorite  in  England,  and  was  warmly  received  every- 
where. She  traveled  through  the  United  States  during  the  season  of 
1879-S0,  and  confirmed  the  favorable  impression  that  she  had  made  while 
with  Gilmore.  She  has  made  several  tours  of  America  and  Europe  since 
that  time,  and  has  won  a  wide  reputation. 

Antoinette  Sterling 

Was  born  at  Sterlingville,  X.  Y.,  Jan.  23,  1850,  and  traces  lier  descent 
through  William  Bradford,  one  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  who  came  over 
in  the  "Majflower, "  and  was  the  second  governor  of  Plymouth  colony. 
Her  voice  in  childhood  was  noticeable  for  its  remarkable  range,  and  it 
afterward  settled  into  a  contralto  of  great  sweetness  and  volume.  She 
began  to  studj'  singing  in  1867  under  Signor  Abella,  in  New  York.  In 
the  following  year  she  visited  England  for  a  few  months,  which  she  spent 
in  the  provinces,  singing  with  much  success.  She  passed  on  to  Germany, 
where  she  was  a  pupil  Mme.  Marchesi,  at  Cologne,  later  of  Pauline 
Viardot,  at  Baden  Baden,  and  lastly,  of  Manuel  Garcia,  in  London.  In 
187 1  she  returned  to  America  and  immediately  took  high  rank  as  a  concert 
singer.  She  only  remained  two  years,  and  on  May  13,  1873,  gave  a  fare- 
well concert  at  the  Irving  hall,  Boston,  prior  to  her  departure  for  England. 
She  first  appeared  in  London  on  Nov.  5  of  that  year  at  the  Covent  Garden 
promenade  concert  under  the  leadership  of  Sir  Julius  Benedict.  Shortly 
afterward  she  sang  at  the  Cr>'stal  palace,  and  in  1874  at  the  Sacred  Har- 
monic, Philharmonic,  Albert  hall  and  London  ballad  concerts.  She  also 
sang  at  the  Festival  at  Gloucester  in  September.  She  was  married  at  the 
Savoy  chapel,  London,  to  Mr.  John  Mackinlay,  in  1875,  and  for  a  few 


HOPE    GLENN. 


EMMA    KAMES. 


months  in  that  year  she  visited  America,  under  the  management  of  The- 
odore Thomas,  and  sang  in  a  series  of  forty  concerts.  Since  then  she  has 
lived  in  London,  and  with  the  exception  of  some  provincial  engagements, 
has  confined  her  appearances  entirely  to  that  city.  Her  best  work  has 
been  done  in  ballad  singing,  and  in  the  rendering  of  such  ballads  as  The 
Three  Fishers  ;  The  Sands  of  the  Dee,  or  The  Three  Ravens,  she  throws  a 
force  and  earnestness  into  the  words  of  the  weird  tale,  thrilling  and 
charming  her  audience.  Still,  she  has  some  classical  music  in  her 
repertoire,  songs  of  Mendelssohn  and  Schumann  chiefly.  Probably  one  of 
the  main  secrets  of  her  success  is  the  wonderful  distinctness  with  which 
she  declaims  her  words. 

Zelie  De  Lussan. 

This  charming  young  singer  was  born  in  the  city  of  New  York  in 
1863,  her  mother  being  an  opera  singer.  Mme.  De  Lussan  taught  her 
daughter  Zelie  to  sing  from  childhood,  and  it  is  not  strange  that  the  child 
should  have  grown  up  with  the  intention  of  going  upon  the  stage.  When.she 
was  sixteen  years  old,  after  having  already  acquired  considerable  local  repu- 
tation by  singing  at  charit}'-  and  private  concerts,  she  made  a  trial  appear- 
ance in  a  large  charity  concert  at  the  Academy  of  Music.  Her  success 
here  was  so  unmistakable  that  she  was  decided  in  her  intention  of  making 
an  operatic  career.  Then  ensued  three  years'  hard  study  under  her  mother 
and  other  teachers,  and  at  length  she  made  her  debut  with  the  Boston 
Ideal  Opera  Company  in  1865.  During  this  season  she  sang  "  Arline  " 
in  the  Bohemian  Girl,  as  "  Zerlina  "  in  Fra  Diavolo,  and  made  a  delight- 
ful effect  in  the  pretty  opera  of  Victor,  the  Blue  Stocki)ig.  After  several 
seasons  with  this  organization  she  went  abroad,  and  in  London  made  a 
success  in  Carmen,  Daiighter  of  the  Regiment,  Faiist,  etc.  She  is  now 
singing,  1889,  with  the  Carl  Rosa  Opera  Companj'.  Her  voice  is  a  full, 
rich,  beautiful  soprano,  and  her  method  excellent.  In  personal  appear- 
ance she  strikingly  resembles  Patti. 

Hope  Glenn. 

This  celebrated  singer  was  born  in  Pennsj-lvania,  but  removed  to  Iowa 
when  she  was  young.  Her  early  studies  were  made  at  Iowa  City,  but  she 
soon  came  to  Chicago,  where  she  studied  seriously  with  Mr.  Frederic  W. 
Root,  and  it  was  under  his  management  that  a  testimonial  concert  was 
arranged  for  raising  money  to  send  her  abroad.  In  1875  she  went  to 
Paris,  and  Marie  Rose  introduced  her  to  Wartel,  Nilsson's  celebrated 
teacher.  She  studied  with  him  and  with  Mme.  \"iardot-CTarcia,  and  after-, 
ward  with  Lamperti.     She  made  her  operatic  debut  at  Malta  in  1879  as 


"Pierotto"  in  Linda.  Between  1882  and  1885  she  sang  in  the  principal 
cities  of  this  country,  after  which  she  returned  to  London,  where  she  has 
ever  since  resided,  and  where  she  has  j^reat  personal  popularity.  She  is  a 
friend  and  protege  of  the  great  singer,  Nilsson,  and  has  a  large  and  highly 
remunerative  business  as  a  drawing  room  and  concert  singer.  Her  voice 
is  a  rich  contralto,  her  manner  statuesque  and  impressive,  but  not  adapted 
to  opera.     Her  delivery  of  text  is  unusually  good. 

SvBiL  Sanderson. 

This  charming  American  girl,  who  in  1889  has  just  made  such  an 
astonishing  success  at  the  Opera  Comique  in  Paris,  was  born  in  Sacra- 
mento, Cal.,  in  1865,  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Judge  Sanderson, 
chief  justice  of  California.  Her  childhood  was  passed  in  her  native  city, 
but  the  idea  of  a  stage  career  took  possession  of  her  at  a  very  early  age. 
Her  musical  studies  have  been  made  in  Paris,  where  twelve  years  ago  she 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  eminent  composer,  IM.  Jules  Massenet,  who 
wrote  to  an  American  friend  that  he  anticipated  great  things  for  the  young 
singer,  and  confidently  expected  her  to  turn  out  another  Nilsson.  Her 
voice  has  phenomenal  range  and  purity. 

Emma  Hayden  Eames. 

At  the  Paris  Grand  Opera  in  Paris,  in  1889  there  is  a  charming  young 
singer,  who  although  but  twenty-two  years  of  age,  carries  captive  the 
hearts  of  her  susceptible  hearers.  It  is  Emma  Hayden  Eames,  born  in 
Maine,  in  1867.  Her  sweet  and  powerful  voice  made  her  a  popular 
singer  locally  at  an  early  age,  and  presently  a  Boston  teacher.  Miss  Clara 
Munger,  happened  to  hear  her.  Miss  Eames  went  back  to  Boston  with  Miss 
Munger  and  completed  the  training  of  her  voice.  Her  Boston  success  was  so 
marked  that  by  Miss  Ivlunger's  advice  she  went  to  Paris  for  stage  work  and 
is  universally  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  singers  in  Europe.  Miss 
Eames'  voice  is  singularly  expressive,  and  her  whole  organization  is 
spirituelle,  rich  in  capacities  for  feeling  and  making  others  feel.  Her 
countenance  without  being  positively  beautiful,  has  a  lovely  expressive- 
ness, which  is  better  than  beauty.  Withal  she  is  still  the  simple-hearted 
American  girl  whom  Miss  Munger  found  in  the  choir  in  Maine. 

Emma  Juch. 

Emma  Juch  was  born  in  Vienna,  in  1863.  She  is,  however,  more  an 
American  than  an  Austrian,  and  is  rightly  classified  among  the  American 
singers.  Her  parents  were  both  natives  of  this  countrj',  and  it  was  while 
they  were  visiting  in  the  Austrian  capital  that  Emma  was  born.     When 


but  two  years  of  age  she  was  brought  to  America  where  the  years  of  her 
girlhood  were  passed.  Miss  Juch's  voice  and  her  artistic  capabilities  were 
a  natural  inheritance.  Her  father,  Justin  Juch,  was  an  inventor,  an  artist 
and  a  musician,  while  her  mother  was  a  gifted  singer.  Emma's  natural 
inclinations  led  her  to  the  study  of  music  and  in  the  face  of  the  opposi- 
tion of  her  parents,  she  practiced  industriously,  keeping  her  efforts  secret. 
It  was  onlj'  when  the  indefatigable  young  songstress  appeared  on  the  stage 
at  a  pupils'  concert  that  her  father  discovered  her  disobedience.  He  was 
seated  in  the  audience,  and  was  taken  completely  by  surprise  when  his 
daughter  came  upon  the  platform  and  began  to  sing.  Her  first  appear- 
ance was  a  complete  success,  and  her  father  was  only  too  glad  to  with- 
draw his  opposition  and  devote  his  energies  to  training  the  young  voice 
with  rigid  severity.  It  is  said  that  to  his  efforts  and  the  severe  schooling 
which  he  forced  upon  her  is  due  her  marvelous  flexibility  of  voice,  and 
the  wonderful  evenness  and  silvery  clearness  of  her  tones.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen,  Miss  Juch  scored  a  success  in  the  leading  soprano  roles  in  Her 
Majesty's  Grand  Italian  Opera  in  London,  under  the  direction  of  Colonel 
Mapleson.  In  June,  1881,  her  debut  was  made  in  the  role  of  "  Filina,"  in 
Ambroise  Thomas'  Mignoji.  She  followed  up  her  success  in  a  number  of 
operas,  singing "Violetta"  in  Verdi's  Trafz^/a,  "Queen  of  Night"  in  Mozart's 
Magic  Flute,  the  title  role  in  Martha,  "  Marguerite  "  in  Gounod's  Faust,  the 
' '  Queen  ' '  in  Lcs  Huguenots,  and  ' "  Isabella  ' '  in  Robert,  Ic  Diable.  During 
the  three  seasons  through  which  she  acted  as  Colonel  Mapleson 's  drawing 
card,  she  met  with  almost  invariable  success.  At  the  close  of  her  engage- 
ment she  received  an  offer  from  Theodore  Thomas  to  take  leading  roles  in 
a  series  of  Wagner  operas,  in  which  Frau  Materna  and  Mme.  Nilsson  were 
to  sing.  It  was  a  high  honor  for  so  young  a  singer  to  be  asked  to  stand 
beside  these  great  vocal  artists,  and  such  singers  as  Scaria  and  Winkel- 
mann,  but  she  passed  the  ordeal  bravely  and  met  with  almost  unanimous 
commendation  of  the  critics.  Mr.  Thomas  found  that  he  had  not  mis- 
placed his  confidence  in  her  ability,  and  intrusted  her  with  the  most 
trying  of  those  trying  roles  in  Wagner's  operas,  which  prove  to  be  Wat- 
erloos  for  the  inefficient,  the  flashy  and  the  uneducated  singer.  Alter- 
nately with  Mme.  Nilsson  .she  sang  "Elsa,"  an  impersonation  which  has 
since  become  famous  for  originality'  of  interpretation,  intelligent  phrasing 
and  impassioned  declamation.  During  her  three  seasons'  engagement 
with  Mr.  Thomas,  Miss  Juch  sang  in  six  roles,  repeating  them  164  times. 
Her  success  was  phenomenal.  That  her  reputation  was  the  result  of 
actual  achievement  and  trul)'  meritorious  work  rather  than  the  moment- 
ar}'  notoriety  which  a  capricious  public  sometimes  accords  a  flashy  singer, 
is  attested  by  the  fact  that  she  received  flattering  offers  from  such  reputa- 

228 


GRACE    HII.TZ. 


CHAS.    11.    ADAMS. 


ble  musicians  as  Dr.  Leopold  Damrosch,  of  the  Metropolitan  opera  house. 
Miss  Juch  has  filled  prominent  parts  in  festivals,  concerts  and  operas  in 
all  the  great  cities  of  the  country.  She  has  appeared  to  advantage  in 
concerts  where  the  best  artists  in  the  world  have  been  engaared,  and  with 
such  organizations  as  the  Philharmonic,  the  Boston  Symphony,  the 
Brooklyn  Philharmonic,  the  Philadelphia  Symphony,  Theodore  Thomas', 
Herr  Gericke's,  the  St.  Louis  Saengerfest,  and  the  very  best  choral 
societies.  Her  voice  is  constantly  improving  in  fullness  and  strength,  and 
the  wonderfull}'  facile  execution  which  she  possesses  gains  j-early  in 
brilliancy  and  grace. 

Emma  Abbott. 
Born  in  Chicago  ni  1850,  the  early  life  of  this  celebrated  singer  is 
a  record  of  constant  upward  struggle  over  obstacles  that  would  have 
defeated  any  one  of  less  indomitable  pluck.  Her  secret  of  success  was 
that  of  Holmes,  and  embodied  in  practical  shape  before  the  autocrat  had 
put  his  on  paper  — 

"  Only  one  art  is  that  of  the  master, 
Only  that  courage  can  save  from  disaster." 

So,  after  the  family  had  gone  to  Peoria,  111. ,  and  her  father  had  met  with 
financial  misfortune,  she  helped  her  mother  with  all  her  might  to  pull 
through  the  sea  of  troubles.  Both  Emma  and  her  brother,  George,  early 
showed  a  remarkable  talent  for  music,  and  when  the  former  was  only 
nine  years  old  Mr.  Abbott  took  the  children  out  to  assist  him  in  his  con- 
certs. At  ten  years  of  age  Emma  took  lessons  on  the  guitar  and  George 
on  the  violin.  Mrs.  Abbott  partiallj-  paid  for  those  lessons  by  boarding 
their  teacher,  and  Emma  finished  paying  the  bill  years  after,  when  she 
had  become  a  successful  concert  singer  in  New  York.  When  Emma  was 
thirteen  she  taught  the  guitar,  had  several  pupils  and  became  quite  pro- 
ficient on  that  instrument.  She  attended  school  in  Peoria  until  she  was 
sixteen,  when  she  taught  a  summer  school  eight  miles  from  the  town. 
About  this  time  she  sang  in  the  synagogue  of  Rabbi  Max  Moses,  who 
called  her  "The  only  singer  in  Peoria,"  and  shortly  afterward  she  joined 
the  Lumbard  Concert  Compan}',  traveling  with  them  through  Illinois, 
Wisconsin  and  Iowa,  but  at  the  beginning  of  the  warm  weather  they 
disbanded  and  Emma  started  out  alone,  with  her  guitar  for  her  only 
accompaniment,  through  Michigan  and  the  neighboring  states.  She 
gave  "parlor  concerts,"  that  is  concerts  given  in  the  parlor  of  the  hotel 
where  she  was  staying.  She  struggled  on  for  j^ears  in  this  way,  meeting 
with  many  reverses,  until  one  day  the  luck  changed.  Clara  Louise 
Kellogg  heard  her  in  Toledo  and  gave  her  money  enough  to  go  to  New 


Emma  Abbott. 


York,  with  a  letter  to  Erani.  She  went,  studied  with  Erani,  sang  in  Dr. 
Chapin's  church  at  a  salary  of  $1,500  a  year,  and,  helped  by  the  congre- 
gation, went  to  Europe,  where  she  studied  (1872)  with  San  Giovanni  at 
Milan,  afterward  meeting  in  Paris  the  Baroness  Rothschild,  who  became 
her  fast  friend  and  through  whom  she  was  the  pupil  of  Delle  Sadie,  and 
of  Wartel.  The  latter  predicted  that  "When  she  is  finished  she  will  be 
without  a  rival  in  the  world,"  while  Ea  Grange  said:  "M}^  child,  you  are 
the  very  Jennj'  Lind;  j'our  voice  is  pure,  sweet,  powerful."  Her 
first  appearance  in  Paris  was  a  perfect  triumph  for  her.  She  remained  in 
Europe  for  several  years,  and  was  offered  several  good  engagements.  In 
1878  she  returned  to  America,  received  a  warm  welcome,  and  has  since 
sung  in  all  the  principal  cities  here.  She  is  a  typical  American,  full  of 
energy  and  dash,  yet  retaining  all  her  old  habits  of  hard,  persevering 
work,  to  which  she  owes  no  small  measure  of  her  great  success. 

Directly  upon  her  return  from  her  first  studies  abroad,  she  married  a 
young  business  man  of  New  York,  Mr.  Eugene  Wetherell,  who  presently 
made  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Chas.  Pratt,  and  the  firm  of  Pratt  &  Weth- 
erell managed  all  the  Abbott  seasons  until  the  sudden  death  of  Mr.  Weth- 
erell in  Denver,  in  1888.  Contrary  to  the  usual  experiences  of  young 
opera  singers.  Miss  Abbott  made  money  from  the  start.  Her  husband 
proved  to  be  a  good  business  man,  and  although  the}'  kept  their  property 
separate  to  a  certain  extent,  many  of  their  investments  were  made  in  com- 
mon. In  this  way  they  became  possessed  of  valuable  real  estate  in  various 
parts  of  the  countrj^  which,  having  been  judiciously  selected,  appreciated 
rapidly  in  value.  In  consequence  of  this,  Miss  Abbott  is  now  probably 
the  richest  woman  upon  the  stage,  her  wealth  being  estimated  as  high  as 
several  millions.  Her  hu.sband's  property  came  to  her  at  his  death,  by 
the  provi.sions  of  his  will.  They  have  never  had  any  children.  It  is  said 
to  be  her  ambition  to  found  some  daj^  a  great  American  school  of  music, 
in  which  other  girls,  talented  as  she  was,  can  receive  a  sound  education 
without  the  struggles  that  she  had  to  encounter. 

Although  Miss  Abbott  has  made  so  much  money  in  America,  the 
city  press  has  almost  uniformly  dealt  rather  hardly  with  her.  Her  voice 
is  naturall}'  of  a  singularlj^  pure  and  agreeable  quality,  and  constant  study 
has  imparted  to  it  a  flexibility  which  it  did  not  originally  possess.  Her 
currency  in  fashionable  circles  is  hampered  by  certain  vocal  mannerisms, 
for  which  her  magnificent  dressing  does  not  fully  atone.  In  the  latter 
respect,  however,  she  has  beat  the  record,  her  dresses  for  her  personal  use 
in  the  season  of  1889  having  cost  upwards  of  $45,000.  Thej'  were  from 
the  ateliers  of  Worth  and  Felix.  Miss  Abbott  is  undoubtedly  the  hard- 
est-working woman  upon  the  stage. 


Jessik  Bartlett  Davis. 

This  well  known  contralto  was  born  near  Morris,  111.,  in  August, 
i860.  The  sweetness  of  her  voice  and  her  musical  talent  were  evident  at 
an  early  age,  and  she  became  known  as  a  singer  when  she  \\  xs  only  eight 
years  old.  Her  musical  education  was  chiefly  gained  in  Chicago,  where 
she  studied  under  Frederic  W.  Root;  but  she  was  also  under  the  tutelage 
of  De  Rialp  and  Albites,  of  New  York,  and  Sara  Robinson  Duff,  of  Chi- 
cago. She  first  appeared  in  public  at  concerts,  but  in  1879  adopted  the 
stage,  taking  the  part  of  "Buttercup"  in  Pinafore,  and  singing  chiefly 
in  the  west.  In  1883  she  made  a  highly  successful  ^t'(^/</  in  Italian  opera, 
singing  with  Patti  in  Faust  and  Dinorah.  But  she  preferred  light  opera, 
and  entered  upon  an  engagement  with  the  Carleton  Opera  Company  for 
its  first  season,  during  which  she  scored  a  success  as  "  Griolet  "  in  The 
Drum  Major.  She  was  then  engaged  as  principal  contralto  in  the  Amer- 
ican Opera  Company,  with  which  she  played  two  seasons,  and  in  1888, 
joined  the  Bostonians  as  chief  contralto.  Mrr>.  Davis  is  possessed  of  rare 
personal  attractions,  and  is  a  general  favorite  in  her  chosen  roles  in  light 
opera. 

H.   C.   Barnabee. 

This  genial  old  comedian  was  born  in  New  England,  somewhere 
about  1820 — dates  are  wanting.  He  had  a  fine  bass  voice  and  originally 
intended  to  appear  as  an  oratorio  singer.  But  as  he  had  already  acquired 
considerable  reputation  as  a  singer  of  comic  songs,  his  oratorio  appear- 
ances were  marred  by  the  inopportune  laughs  of  people  who  supposed 
that  whatever  Barnabee  sang  must  necessarily  be  funny.  He  did  a  large 
concert  business,  as  a  singing  comedian,  building  up  in  this  branch  a 
clientele  of  his  own.  When  he  went  into  light  opera,  as  he  did  in  Pina- 
fore, he  found  his  proper  sphere.  No  other  singing  comedian  is  so  much 
liked  by  the  American  people,  and  no  other  one  deserves  to  be.  Mr. 
Barnabee  is  genial,  hearty  and  kind.  Like  all  the  other  members  of  the 
Bostonian  company  he  has  been  blessed  in  "his  basket  and  in  his  store," 
so  that  his  prospects  for  a  comfortable  old  age  are  excellent,  if  time  lasts 
until  old  age  reaches  this  spirit  ever  young. 

Thomas  Karl. 

This  charming  lyric  tenor  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1847.  ^^  '^^'^s 
educated  in  England,  making  his  first  studies  with  Henrj-  Phillipps,  and 
by  his  advice  he  went  to  Italy  to  perfect  himself  under  the  leading 
masters  there.  Still  later  he  studied  with  the  great  Parisian  teacher, 
Delia  Sadie,  who  sent  him  again  to  Italy,  where  he  studied  with  San 

253 


Giovanni.  His  beautiful  voice  and  easj-  and  natural  method  of  using  it 
attracted  the  attention  of  the  composer,  Petrella,  who  immediately 
engaged  him  to  create  the  tenor  role  in  his  new  opera,  La  Contessa 
D' Avialji.  In  this  Mr.  Karl  made  a  distinguished  success,  so  good  a 
success,  in  fact,  that  Parepa  Rosa  heard  of  it  and  engaged  him  for  her 
English  Opera  Company,  then  playing  in  America.  Before  joining  the 
Parepa  Rosa  Compan}-,  he  sang  in  all  the  leading  Italian  cities.  In  1880 
he  was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Companj-, 
formed  by  Miss  Ober  for  giving  Pinafore  in  first-class  style.  Since  then 
Mr.  Karl  has  been  continually  with  the  compan}-,  now  known  as  "The 
Bostonians,"  singing  all  the  leading  tenor  roles.  In  person  he  is  hand- 
some, with  a  good  stage  presence.  His  voice  has  a  sweet  and  silver}' 
qualit}',  and  in  spite  of  much  use  it  still  retains  its  freshness,  except  when 
under  the  influence  of  temporary  indisposition.  As  an  actor  he  is  perhaps 
a  little  conventional,  but  he  is  a  prominent  figure  upon  the  American  stage. 

The   Bostonians. 

The  portrait  group  upon  the  opposite  page  contains  three  of  the 
original  members  of  the  famous  Boston  Ideal  Opera  Company,  now  play- 
ing, in  1889.  as  the  "Bostonians."  The  figure  in  the  center  is  that  of 
Mrs.  Marie  Stone-Macdonald,  the  leading  soprano  of  the  company  since 
its  formation.  Mrs.  Macdonald  is  a  charming  woman,  whose  lovely  voice 
still  shows  few  signs  of  wear.  Her  early  successes  were  made  as  a  concert 
singer.  Later  she  appeared  in  opera,  singing  in  Pinafore,  and  then  for 
several  seasons  with  the  Hess  Opera  Compau}-.  Mr.  Macdonald,  her 
husband,  is  the  baritone  of  the  company,  strong  in  the  romantic  roles.  It 
is  a  pity  that  a  portrait  of  this  popular  singer,  fine  actor  and  hand- 
some man,  could  not  have  been  given,  but  fate  was  unkind,  and  it  had  to 
be  omitted.  Those  who  have  seen  Mr.  Macdonald  in  one  of  his  lively 
roles  like  that  in  The  Musketeers  will  appreciate  the  distance  he  has  come 
in  stage  business  since  his  debut.  Directly  after  his  return  from  Italy, 
where  he  made  a  good  record,  he  appeared  in  opera  with  some  company 
the  name  of  which  is  not  known  to  the  present  writer.  His  older  brother 
was  present,  and  after  that  performance  the  debutant  asked  him,  with 
some  modest}',  how  he  had  done.  The  brother  replied,  slowly,  and  in  a 
matter-of-fact  way,  "  You  did  prettj'  well,  but  I  thought  they  would  have 
moved  you  around  more  easilj^  if  3'ou  had  been  on  casters."  Macdonald 
does  not  require  casters  now,*  and  he  still  remains  an  artist  worthy  of  the 
warmest  commendation. 


JESSIE    B.    DAVIS. 


235 


H.     C.     BARNABEE. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

Organists,  Liturgical  Music  and  Virtuosi  upon  Various 

Instruments. 

SCIENTIFIC  organ  playing  in  this  country  goes  back  hardly 
more  than  a  generation.  There  were  several  good  organists 
of  the  older  English  school  settled  in  America  as  early  as 
the  first  quarter  of  the  present  century,  but  they  were  so  few 
that  their  influence  hardly  extended  outside  the  churches  which 
they  respectively  sensed.  There  are  substantially  three,  or 
perhaps  we  might  say  four,  ways  of  plaj-ing  the  organ.  In  one, 
the  so-called  legitimate  or  German  method,  the  plaj-er  deals  largely  with 
full  organ,  and  carries  an  independent  obligato  melodic  part  with  his  feet, 
entirely  distinct  from  that  played  by  the  left  hand.  This  independence 
of  the  left  hand  from  the  feet,  or  the  feet  from  the  left  hand,  is  the  most 
arduous  difficulty  of  legitimate  organ  technique.  It  is  doubly  difficult  to 
the  pupil  of  the  present  time,  because  it  involves  a  new  habit  of  music 
thinking,  polyphonic,  or  many- voiced,  instead  of  one- voiced,  or  melodic. 
The  second  principal  school  is  the  English,  less  strongly  developed  upon 
the  pedal  side,  but  strong  in  registration,  or  the  clever  imitation  of 
orchestral  effects  by  means  of  the  organ.  Then  there  is  the  French 
school,  in  which  the  right  hand  has  a  melodic  part,  the  left  hand  an 
accompaniment,  and  the  feet  a  pedal  part  consisting  mainly  of  detached 
fundamentals.  Great  attention  is  paid  in  this  school  to  orchestral  color- 
ing, or  rather  to  contrasts  of  tone  color.  Fourth,  there  is  the  American 
school,  which  in  the  olden  time  consisted  in  pla3-ing  a  few  pleasing  melo- 
dies upon  fancy  stops  of  impossible  orchestral  coloring,  with  pedal  parts 
put  in  according  to  the  French  school.  The  modern  school  of  organ  play- 
ing, as  illustrated  by  the  best  virtuosi,  consists  of  a  combination  of  all 
these,  having  at  command  the  fluent  technique  of  the  German,  the 
cleverness  of  the  English,  the  piquancy  of  the  French,  and  upon  exhibi- 
tion nights  the  old-time  ad  captandum  methods  of  the  American 
unschooled  organist  of  fifty  years  ago. 


With  the  organ  in  vof  ue  in  the  churches  of  America  a  generation 
ago,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  do  much  with  legitimate  playing. 
The  swell  organ  was  what  is  called  short,  the  most  of  the  stops  in  it 
stopping  at  tenor  C;  the  pedal  keyboard  was  only  an  octave  and  a  half  in 
compass,  and  the  stops  allotted  to  it  no  more  than  one  or  two  in  number. 
The  effect  of  the  full  organ  was  rather  shrill  and  screamy,  due  to  the  scar- 
city of  eight-foot  stops  (on  which  the  solidity  of  tone  in  the  ensemble 
depends)  and  the  preponderance  of  improperly  voiced  mixtures.  It  was 
not  until  after  the  erection  of  the  noble  organ  in  Boston  Music 
Hall  that  a  model  of  a  perfectly  appointed  organ  existed  in  this  country^ 
although  there  had  been  several  of  large  size  before,  notably  that  in  Trin- 
ity church  in  New  York,  erected  about  1845.  Naturally  the  standard 
of  playing  followed  that  of  the  instruments.  Mr.  Geo.  James  V.^'ebb  told 
the  present  writer  that  in  his  time  there  was  not  a  single  organist  in  Bos- 
ton capable  of  playing  a  first-class  fugue  by  Bach.  He  might  have 
added  that  there  was  not  in  his  time  an  organ  in  Boston  capable  of  mak- 
ing such  a  fugue  sound  well.  But  directly  after  the  introduction  of  the 
great  Boston  organ,  there  began  to  be  recitals  every  week  upon  it,  and 
the  young  organists,  such  as  Paine,  Thayer  and  Buck,  vied  with  each 
other  in  rendering  upon  it  the  works  of  Bach,  and  that  prematurely 
departed  giant  of  music,  Thiele,  of  .Berlin.  Commensurate  with  these 
recitals  and  the  existence  in  the  community  of  competent  masters  of  the 
instrument,  there  began  to  be  a  demand  for  organs  with  a  better  appoint- 
ment of  pedal  stops,  and  a  more  rational  preponderance  of  eight-foot  tone 
in  the  full  organ.  Improved  methods  of  voicing  pipes  Vv'ere  introduced 
or  discovered  by  the  best  builders,  at  the  head  of  the  list  of  which  must 
be  placed  the  names  of  Hook  and  Hastings  and  Wm.  A.  Johnson.  With 
demand  for  better  instruments,  and  the  frequent  presence  of  well 
appointed  organs  in  remote  towns  and  small  cities,  there  came  to  be  oppor- 
tunities for  practice,  and  organ  concerts  began  to  cut  a  figure  among  local 
happenings  of  a  musical  nature.  This  epoch  of  organ  building  and  playing 
did  not  come  in  until  after  the  war,  but  since  1865  there  have  been  a  great 
number  of  large  instruments  erected  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

It  was  not  until  Mr.  George  Washboume  Morgan  came  to  New  York, 
in  1853,  that  we  had  here  a  concert  organist  of  attractive  style  and  inviting 
personality. 

George  Washbourne  Morgan, 
The  eminent  English  organist,  was  bom  at  Gloucester,  Eng.,  April  9, 
1822.     His  precocity  in  music  was  so  marked  that  he  played  an  entire 
ser\'ice  in  the  cathedral  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  choir  and  congregation, 

16  237 


when  he  was  onlj-  eight  years  old.  From  the  age  of  twelve  to  twenty  he 
played  the  organ  twice  a  day,  at  service,  with  very  few  exceptions,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  had  held  two  positions  as  organist  in  other  churches, 
He  had  also  made  successful  public  appearances  at  Exeter  hall  as  a  solo 
player,  creating  a  furore  which  is  said  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Stanforth,  vice- 
president  of  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society,  to  have  been  greater  than  he 
remembered  since  Mendelssohn's  appearance.  After  settling  in  London, 
Mr.  Morgan  was  organist  for  a  number  of  years  successively  at  St.  Paul's 
and  at  Westminster  Abbey.  He  arrived  in  America  in  1853,  and  was 
immediately  made  organist  at  St.  Thomas  church.  New  York,  where, 
however,  he  remained  only  one  year,  going"  then  to  Grace  church,  where 
he  was  organist  for  thirteen  years.  After  this  he  became  organist  at  St. 
Ann's  Roman  Catholic  and  later  at  Dr.  Talmadge's  Brooklyn  tabernacle, 
where  he  served  for  twelve  years. 

He  was  the  first  organist  to  introduce  in  this  country  the  works  of 
Bach  in  concert  performances,  and  Mr.  Dwight  in  his  Journal  of  Music 
characterized  his  playing  at  Tremont  temple  in  1859  as  the  finest  organ 
plaj'ing  ever  heard  in  the  country.  At  the  opening  of  the  great  organ  in 
Boston  Music  hall  Mr.  Morgan  was  among  the  players,  and  although  the 
programme  bore  the  information  that  owing  to  the  length  of  the  programme 
no  encores  could  be  allowed,  he  was  recalled  six  times,  and  at  the  request 
of  the  committee  had  to  plaj-  an  extra  piece.  In  1876  he  was  engaged  by 
the  Messrs.  Hook  and  by  Roosevelt  to  play  their  organs  at  the  Philadel- 
phia centennial  exhibition.  It  would  scarcely  be  possible  to  speak  too 
highly  of  the  performance  of  Mr.  Morgan's  American  work  and  its 
influence  in  developing  a  taste  for  organ  playing  throughout  the  country. 
This  would  not  have  been  the  case  had  not  he  possessed  a  rare  gift  of 
pleasing  his  audiences,  in  which  quality  no  player  is  to  be  mentioned 
superior  to  him.  He  has  also  a  genuine  fondness  for  public  appearance, 
and  is  never  so  much  at  home  as  when  showing  off  a  large  organ  with 
a  critical  audience  behind  him. 

Mr.  Morgan  has  a  daughter,  Miss  Maude  Morgan,  who  is  a  beautiful 
harpist,  and  in  later  j-ears  father  and  daughter  have  played  much  in  con- 
cert together.  Mr.  Morgan  is  still  hale  and  heartj',  and  apparently  has 
many  years  of  usefulness  and  honor  before  him 

Morgan  is  a  fluent  pedal  player,  and  has  all  the  English  cleverness 
in  registration.  No  man  can  obtain  more  pleasing  results  from  a  strange 
organ.  He  depends  much  upon  the  attractive  character  of  his  selections, 
but  he  can  upon  occasion  play  a  Bach  fugue  in  good  stj'le,  leaning  more 
especially  to  those  of  less  technical  difficulty,  such  as  the  St.  Ann's  fugue, 
and  a  few  others.     He  plays  operatic  overtures,  which  he  adapts  himself 

238 


Geo.  W.  Morgan. 


from  pianoforte  arrangements,  relying  upon  his  own  quick  ear  and  remem- 
brance of  the  orchestral  effects,  and  he  is  extremely  clever  in  imitating 
effects  from  the  resources  of  small  organs  in  which  ordinary  players  could 
find  no  possibilities  of  attractive  combinations. 

His  great  competitor,  and  the  representative  of  the  Hook  system  of 
building  at  the  time,  was  the  late  Dr.  J.  H.  Wilcox,  of  Boston,  for  many 
jears  organist  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception.  Dr.  Wilcox 
was  one  of  the  most  pleasing  players  who  ever  went  out  to  show  oflF  a  new 
organ.  He  played  delicate  solos,  soft  and  pleasing  effects,  and  by  way 
of  grand  finale  a  transcription  of  a  Handel  or  Haydn  chorus,  such  as  the 
Hallclitjah  or  The  Heavens  are  Telling.  The  story  of  Dr.  Wilcox  is  as 
follows: 

John  Henry  Wilcox,  Mus.  Doc. 

Was  born  at  Savannah,  Ga.,  Oct.  6,  1827.  He  graduated  at  Trinity  Col- 
lege, Hartford,  in  1849,  and  the  year  after  became  organist  at  St.  Paul's 
Episcopal  church,  succeeding  Dr.  S.  P.  Tuckerman.  When  a  large  organ 
was  erected  by  the  Hooks  in  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception 
he  took  charge  of  it,  and  remained  there  until  July,  1874.  The  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Music  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Georgetown  College  in  1864. 
He  died  at  Boston,  June  29,  1875.  He  was  a  prominent  figure  in  New 
England  for  many  years,  but  he  never  possessed  a  complete  organ  tech- 
nique of  the  modern  school. 

In  the  nature  of  the  case  the  taste  of  the  more  remote  parts  of  the  coun- 
try has  had  to  wait  upon  that  of  the  leading  builders.  Organists  do  not 
generally  go  about  upon  concert  tours.  In  former  days  a  concert  organist 
was  merely  a  pleasing  church  organist,  with  a  knack  of  making  an  organ 
sound  prettily,  who  was  sent  out  by  the  builders  to  exhibit  new  organs. 
It  was  not  until  Dudley  Buck  came  back  from  Germany  and  began  to  be 
sent  out  bj'  Johnson  to  show  off  his  organs,  that  legitimate  organ  plajnng 
began  to  have  a  run  outside  very  limited  circles  in  large  cities.  Buck 
was  far  from  being  an  organ  pedant.  He  played  orchestral  overtures, 
as  well  as  fancy  pieces  of  the  German  and  French  school.  As  Geo.  W. 
Morgan  had  one  masterpiece,  the  overture  to  William  Tell,  and  Dr. 
Wilcox  had  his  Thunder  Storm,  Mr.  Buck  had  a  masterpiece,  upon 
which  he  had  put  manj'  months'  practice.  It  was  a  transcription  of 
Wagner's  Tannhiiiiser  oxerinre.  This  he  inter|3reted  with  splendid  effect. 
Another  of  his  pieces,  which  also  made  a  hit,  was  an  arrangement  of  the 
overture  to  Kreutzer's  Alight  in  Grenada.  He  also  instituted  a  new 
school  of  organ  composition,  a  modern  school  of  his  own,  about  halfway 
between  the  German  and  the  French  schools.     Reference  is  made  here  to 


241 


his  poetic  pieces,  such  as  yU  Evening,  and  not  to  the  organ  sonatas,  which 
are  nearly  strict  German  pieces  for  organ.  As  much  cannot  be  said 
for  the  variations  pieces  which  he  produced,  like  many  other  American 
organists,  such  as  the  Annie  Laurie  variations,  etc.  These  are  too  much 
like  the  popular  arrangements  of  Nearer,  My  God,  to  Thee.  Mr.  Buck's 
influence  upon  organ  playing  in  the  country  did  not  continue  for  any 
long  time,  but  after  his  own  appearances  had  become  rare  outside  the  city 
of  Brooklyn,  his  work  was  carried  forward  by  his  pupils,  of  whom  he 
turned  out  many.  The  most  brilliant  of  these  was  Clarence  Eddy,  of 
Greenfield,  Mass.;  but  before  recounting  his  interesting  career  it  is 
necessary  to  give  the  storj-  of  another  virtuoso  of  the  verj'  first  order. 
Mr.  Samuel  P.  Warren. 

Samuel  P.  Warren. 

This  famous  organist  reallj'-  belongs  to  the  "Stars  and  Stripes," 
though  he  was  born  under  the  shadow  of  the  Royal  Standard  of  England 
at  Montreal,  Can.  His  father  was  a  Rhode  Islander  by  birth,  who  moved 
to  Canada  in  1837  and  carried  on  his  trade  of  organ  builder  in  the  Domin- 
ion until  his  death  in  1882.  This  son  Samuel  was  born  Feb.  18,  1841. 
As  a  baby  he  was  often  carried  into  his  father's  workshops,  and  his  first 
remembrances  of  sights  were  those  of  the  great  pipes,  monstrous  to  his 
eyes,  of  the  organs,  as  thej^  were  pieced  together;  his  first  recollections  of 
sounds,  conversation  about  music  and  musicians.  As  he  grew  up  he 
naturally  became  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  construction,  aiid  his  ear- 
liest, strongest  desire  was  to  give  voice  to  those  rows  of  dumb  pipes,  let 
out  the  waiting,  imprisoned  soul  of  them,  as  he  had  seen  his  father  do  hy 
merely  touching  the  polished  keys.  But  before  he  can  play  upon  the 
organ  he  must  learn  the  piano,  and  he  gave  all  his  childish  ardor  to  the 
task.  Successfully  it  would  seem,  for  when  he  was  eleven  years  old  his 
father  allowed  him  to  take  organ  lessons.  His  musical  talent  was  evident 
—  who  can  help  being  musical  when  music  is  the  breath  of  life  and  the 
bread  of  life  to  all  around  ?  The  young  bird  sings,  because  it  hears  the 
flood  of  song  about  it  and  tries  to  imitate.  The  stone  deaf  are  mercifully 
dumb,  for  their  notes  would  be  but  a  discord,  seeing  that  they  cannot  hear 
the  music  of  the  world.  Well  would  it  be  for  the  musician,  could  he  shut 
out  the  clangor  and  clamor  of  the  earth  and  hear  only  its  melody  of  mom- 
its  lullaby  of  eve.  Then  we  should  hear  no  funeral  marches,  no  Dies  h'ce, 
no  sad  intonation  oi  Faust,  like  the  spirit  song  of  falling  worlds,  but  only 
glad  songs  of  Creation,  solemn,  yt\.  triumphant,  "  Hallelujah  chorus  of  the 
world. 

The  lad's  first  essay  at  public  playing  was  in  St.  Stephen's  chapel, 
Montreal.     A  little  while  afterward  he  played  at  the  American  church  in 

242 


'^^J^^^Z^^.'^X^^/^^ 


'ay^i>t^ 


the  same  city,  where  he  remained  until  1861.  Having  by  this  time  passed 
through  college,  and  showing  clearly  enough  in  what  direction  his  genius 
lay,  it  was  decided  that  he  should  complete  his  studies  in  Europe.  Accord- 
ingly in  1 86 1  he  went  to  Berlin,  attending  no  institute,  but  gaining  all  his 
instruction  from  private  sovirces.  His  masters  were  Haupt  for  organ  and 
theory,  etc. ;  Gustav  Schumann  for  piano,  and  Wieprecht  for  instrument- 
ation. He  gave  up  almost  all  his  time  to  his  favorite  instrument,  the 
organ,  and  under  Haupt' s  good  guidance  became  a  notable  plaj^er.  He 
completed  the  usual  four  years'  course,  and  in  1864  returned  to  Montreal, 
but  only  for  a  short  time.  The  following  year  found  him  at  New  York, 
and  toward  its  close  he  accepted  the  position  of  organist  at  All  Souls' 
church,  where  he  remained  until  1868.  In  that  year  he  went  to  Grace 
church  and  played  the  organ  there  for  six  years.  Fronr  1874  to  1876  he 
was  at  Holy  Trinity,  but  returned  to  Grace  church  at  the  end  of  that 
period,  and  has  stayed  there  ever  since.  In  addition  to  this  his  time  has 
been  busil)^  engaged  in  teaching,  and  from  1880  to  1887  he  was  the  con- 
ductor of  the  New  York  Vocal  Union.  He  has  also  given  over  three  hun- 
dred organ  recitals  and  concerts  in  New  York  city  alone.  Singularly 
enough,  such  an  able  exponent  of  other  people's  music  has  written  but  lit- 
tle of  his  own.  He  has  composed  some  music  for  church  service,  anthems, 
a  few  secular  songs  {seailar  songs  in  distinction  to  church  songs  only  — 
no  song  with  a  meaning  to  it,  that  is  not  gabble,  is  ever  secular),  some 
organ  solo  arrangements,  and  that  is  all. 

The  best  work  that  Mr.  Warren  has  done  has  been  through  his  organ 
recitals,  by  means  of  which  he  has  made  familiar  to  thousands  the  grand- 
est organ  music  that  has  ever  been  written  —  and  perhaps  the  grandest 
music  in  the  world  has  been  written  for  the  organ.  He  has  given  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  these  at  Grace  church,  and  the  good  influence 
that  has  been  exercised  by  such  work  as  this  can  hardly  be  overestimated. 
Mr.  Warren's  organ  technique  is  masterly  in  every  way,  and  his  repertory 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  world.  Personally,  he  is  extremely  modest  and 
unassuming,  but  he  is  one  of  the  foremost  organ  virtuosi  of  the  present 

time. 

Clarence  Eddy. 

Mr.  Clarence  Eddy,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  organ  virtuosi  of 
the  present  time,  was  born  at  Greenfield,  Mass.,  June  23,  1851.  While 
yet  a  mere  child  he  showed  an  unmistakable  fondness  for  music  and  a 
talent  for  improvisation.  At  an  early  age  he  was  given  such  lessons  as 
the  vicinity  afforded,  until,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  when  his  talent  had  be- 
come so  well  developed  as  to  require  a  higher  grade  of  instruction.  Ac- 
cordingly he  was  sent  to  Hartford,  to  the  distinguished  master.  Mr.  Dudley 


Buck,  then  just  back  from  his  own  studies  abroad.  After  a  year  under 
Buck's  care,  young  Eddy  was  so  far  advanced  that  he  became  organist  of 
Bethany  Congregational  church,  at  Montpelier,  Vt.,  where  his  fine  and 
tasteful  playing  attracted  general  attention.  In  187 1  he  went  to  Germany 
to  study  with  August  Haupt,  the  venerable  organist  of  the  Prussian  court, 
and  with  A.  Loeschom,  the  celebrated  composer  and  teacher  of  the  piano- 
forte. His  industry  during  the  two  and  a  half  years  he  spent  in  Berlin 
was  enormous.  Every  day  he  practiced  six  to  ten,  and  even  twelve,  hours 
upon  the  pianoforte  and  the  organ.  It  was  one  of  his  first  exercises  in 
the  morning  to  play  through  the  entire  six  of  Bach's  trio  sonatas  for  two 
claviers  and  pedals.  He  did  this  upon  his  pedal  piano,  his  long  fingers 
permitting  him  to  carry  the  two  manual  voices  exactly  as  written,  irre- 
spective of  their  crossing  and  interlocking.  This  daily  element  of  his 
practice  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  cultivating  the  neatness  of  touch, 
which  is  so  noticeable  a  feature  of  his  playing  at  the  present  time.  He 
studied  with  Haupt  not  only  the  whole  of  Bach's  organ  works,  but  also 
many  manuscript  compositions  and  arrangements  by  Haupt,  who  loved 
him  as  a  son,  and  was  proud  of  his  invincible  skill.  But  Haupt  did  not 
content  himself  with  carrying  his  virtuoso  pupil  through  the  classical 
repertory  of  the  organ;  he  gave  him  all  of  those  of  Thiele — the  great 
genius  who  died  too  j-oung  for  the  world  to  know  him  as  he  deserved. 
Beside  the  gigantic  solos  of  this  master,  Haupt  arranged  for  two  hands  a 
concert  piece  in  C  minor,  which  Thiele  had  written  for  two  performers. 
These,  also,  Eddy  played  with  the  same  mastery  and  ease  that  he  did  all 
the  rest.  In  short,  It  can  safely  be  said,  that  during  his  student  years  he 
played  through  the  entire  repertorj^  of  the  organ,  so  far  as  known  to  the 
greatest  master  of  the  da}-,  himself  a  famous  concert  organist.  His 
studies  upon  the  pianoforte  were  little,  if  at  all,  less  thorough,  and  in 
counierpoint  and  composition  he  distinguished  himself  The  most  bril- 
liant incident  of  his  pupil  daj-s  was  that  of  plaj'ing  in  Haupt' s  place 
before  the  emperor  and  principal  nobility  at  a  concert  in  the  "  Garri.son  " 
church,  in  Berlin.  His  performance  was  recognized  in  the  most  flattering 
manner  by  the  distinguished  audience  present,  as  well  as  bj-  the  press  of 
the  city. 

This  led  to  a  longer  tour  through  the  principal  cities  of  Germany, 
Austria,  Switzerland  and  Holland.  Among  the  credentials  which  he  took 
with  him  upon  this  tour  was  a  letter  from  his  teacher,  Haupt,  in  which  he 
said:  "  In  organ  playing  the  performances  of  Mr.  Eddy  are  worth}'^  to  be 
designated  as  eminent,  and  he  is  undoubtedly  a  peer  of  the  greatest  living 
organists."  Ever}vvhere  upon  this  tour  his  playing  was  recognized  as 
phenomenal  in  technical  mastery  and  repose. 


Upon  his  return  to  America  he  was  immediately  oflfered  a  position  as 
organist  of  the  First  Congregational  church  of  Chicago.  He  took  at 
once  a  leading  position  in  the  city,  which  he  never  afterward  lost.  It  was 
in  the  First  Congregationalist  church  that  his  first  series  of  twenty-five, 
recitals  was  given.  The  programmes  embraced  the  very  cream  of  organ 
music,  by  classical  and  modern  writers  of  all  schools.  The  quality  of  the 
selections  themselves,  and  the  ease  and  refined  master}'  of  the  playing, 
attracted  the  attention  of  music  lovers  generally,  and  led  to  important 
consequences.  A  year  after,  Mr.  Eddy  became  the  general  director  of  the 
Hershey  School  of  Musical  Art,  then  newly  established  by  Mrs.  Sara 
Hershey,  who,  a  little  later,  became  Mrs.  Eddy.  During  the  existence  of 
this  institution  it  was  remarkably  successful  in  three  departments  not 
generall}-  successful  in  American  schools:  A  large  number  of  organists  were 
trained  here;  composers,  who  proved  the  excellence  of  their  teaching  by 
producing  works  large  in  style  and  presentable  in  quality;  a  considerable 
number  of  accomplished  singers,  also,  went  out  from  this  institution,  able 
to  give  recitals  of  songs  of  everj-  national  school. 

It  was  upon  his  own  organ,  in  Hershey  Music  hall,  that  Mr.  Eddy 
gave  his  great  and  unprecedented  series  of  one  hundred  recitals  of  organ 
music,  containing  no  repetitions  whatever.  This  herculean  task  occupied 
about  two  3'ears,  the  recitals  occurring  every  Saturday.  The  five  hundred 
and  more  compositions  upon  these  programmes  amount  to  a  thesaurus  of 
organ  music,  in  which  no  national  school,  old  or  new,  was  unrepresented. 
The  closing  recital,  June  23,  1879,  was  made  the  occasion  of  an  ovation, 
and  the  programme  consisted  almost  entirely  of  original  works,  expressly 
written  for  this  recital  by  some  of  the  greatest  writers  for  the  organ  then 
living. 

The  stir  made  in  musical  circles  bj-  this  work  of  Mr.  Eddy's  naturally 
led  to  a  large  number  of  concert  engagements,  exhibitions  of  organs,  etc., 
in  every  part  of  the  country.  His  success  in  the  east  was  not  less  than  in 
the  west,  for  there  is  something  about  his  mastery  that  commends  it  to 
every  hearer.  Hence,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  performer  has 
been  one  of  the  main  influences  in  elevating  the  standard  of  American 
organ  playing  and  in  extending  the  range  of  its  reportory.  This  ser\'ice 
to  American  art  was  greatly  helped  by  the  wide  republication  of  the 
programmes,  which  were  everywhere  recognized  as  of  great  interest. 
Then  came  the  two  books  of  The  Church  and  Concert  Organist,  the  first 
published  in  1882,  the  second  in  1885.  His  translation  of  Haupt's  coun- 
terpoint was  published  in  1876. 

In  the  small  number  of  original  compositions  which  alone  Mr.  Eddy 
has  as  yet  given  to  the  public,  he  has  shown  that  he  possesses  a  true  musi- 

246 


Clarence  Eddy. 


clanship  and  a  readiness  of  thought  which  might  easily  have  led  to  the 
production  of  more  important  results,  had  he  not  regarded  his  talent  for 
playing  as  of  more  public  utility  than  that  for  composition. 

Mr.  Eddy  has  distinguished  himself  as  an  accompanist  scarcely  less 
than  as  a  solo  artist.  His  constant  practice  in  overcoming  the  imperfec- 
tions of  all  sorts  of  organs,  has  given  him  a  masterj^  of  registration  and 
a  judicious  ear  for  combinations,  which  combine  to  render  his  accompani- 
ments to  the  voice  flexible,  neat  and  judicious  to  the  very  last  degree. 
These  excellencies  led  to  his  appointment  as  organist  to  the  first  Chicago 
May  Festival,  in  1882,  where  he  had  the  use  of  an  organ  erected  for  the 
occasion.  For  several  years  he  has  been  organist  of  the  Apollo  Club  con- 
certs. During  the  past  ten  years  he  has  been  organist  of  the  First  Pres- 
bj-terian  church,  Chicago.  A  third  volume  of  organ  music,  entitled  The 
Organ  in  Church,  was  published  in  1887  (Scheberth  &  Co.);  also  a  con- 
cert fantasie  on  themes  from  Faust,  and  several  arrangements  for  the  organ 
(Newhall,  Evans  &  Co). 

Mr.  Eddy's  concert  tours  (exhibitions  of  new  organs,  etc.),  have 
extended  all  over  the  United  States.  During  the  summer  of  1889,  he 
played  in  various  parts  of  England  and  the  continent.  He  was  invited  to 
represent  America  at  an  organ  recital  at  the  Paris  exposition  in  1889. 
The  concert,  which  was  attended  by  an  audience  of  over  two  thousand 
persons,  won  the  warmest  applause  from  the  critics.  Alex.  Guilmant,  the 
eminent  organist  and  composer,  said  of  him  in  Le  Progr^s  Artistique: 
"  We  were  astonished  at  the  ease  with  which  he  was  able  to  control  the 
magnificent  instrument  of  Cavaille-Coll,  knowing  that  he  had  had  barely 
a  few  hours  to  familiarize  himself  with  all  its  resources.  Mr.  Eddy  is  a 
great  artist  and  has  won  the  esteem  of  French  organists." 

Speaking  of  a  recital  which  Mr.  Eddy  gave  in  Leipsig,  Martin 
Krauser,  critic  of  the  Leipsiger  Tagcblatt,  and  president  of  the  Liszt  Verein 
of  Germany,  said:  "  Mr.  Eddy  is  a  phenomenal  virtuoso,  who  handles 
his  instrument  with  astonishing  facility.  His  pedal  technique  has  hardly 
an  equal ;  with  the  greatest  ease  and  without  the  slightest  movement  of 
body  Mr.  Eddy  played  pedal  passages  so  smoothly  and  with  so  fine  a 
legato  that  the  eifect  of  his  performance  must  be  characterized  as  truly 
overwhelming.  In  Berlin  he  gave  two  recitals,  both  of  which  were 
attended  by  his  old  master,  August  Haupt. 

Mr.  Eddy  has  been  engaged  as  organist  of  the  Chicago  Auditorium, 
and  has  brought  back  with  him  from  Europe  several  manuscripts  written 
especially  for  that  instrument.  The  personal  appearance  of  Mr.  Eddy 
might  be  characterized  as  "distinguished."  His  height  is  rather  above 
the  average,  his  complexion  ruddy,  and  features  strong  but  regular. 

24S 


George  E.  Whiting. 

George  Elbridge  Whiting,  the  head  of  the  organ  department  of  the 
New  England  Conservatory,  and  an  organist  and  composer  of  wide  repu- 
tation throughout  the  musical  world  on  this  continent,  is  a  native  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, having  been  born  at  Holliston,  in  that  state,  Sept.  14,  1842. 
His  brother  Amos  was  organist  at  the  church  at  Springfield,  and  a  musi- 
cian of  more  than  ordinary  cultivation.  At  the  age  of  five  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  began  the  study  of  music  with  his  brother,  by  whose  advice 
he  soon  relinquished  the  piano  for  the  organ,  in  which  he  made  such  rapid 
advance  and  attained  such  a  degree  of  proficiency  that  at  the  age  of  thir- 
teen he  made  his  first  public  appearance.  Two  years  later  he  removed  to 
Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  succeeded  the  distinguished  Dudley  Buck  as 
organist  in  one  of  the  churches  there,  and  founded  the  Beethoven  Societ}^ 
of  that  city.  In  1862  he  removed  to  Boston,  and  shortly  after  determined 
to  profit  by  advantages  in  instruction  not  available  in  this  country,  and 
after  a  course  of  study  with  J.  P.  Morgan,  of  New  York,  he  went  to  Liver- 
pool and  placed  himself  under  the  instruction  of  the  famous  organist, 
William  Thomas  Best,  at  Liverpool.  Returning  to  America,  he  was 
engaged  as  organist  of  St.  Joseph's  church,  Albany,  N.  Y.,  for  a  time, 
after  which,  still  unsatisfied  with  his  acquirements,  he  went  to  Berlin, 
where  he  completed  his  musical  education  with  Radecke.  On  completing 
a  three  years'  engagement  at  Albany,  he  removed  to  Boston,  where  for 
five  years  he  was  organist  at  King's  chapel,  and  became  prominently 
active  in  the  musical  life  of  that  city.  In  1874  he  became  organist  at  the 
Music  Hall,  and  was  for  a  time  in  charge  of  the  organ  department  of  the 
New  England  Conservatory.  In  1878  he  accepted  a  three  years'  engage- 
ment at  the  college  of  music,  then  just  established,  in  Cincinnati,  where 
he  was  principal  organ  instructor.  Here  he  had  charge  of  the  great  organ 
of  the  Music  Hall,  at  which  he  presided  at  several  of  the  most  important 
of  the  May  festivals  in  that  city.  In  1881  he  returned  to  Boston,  where 
he  has  since  been  at  the  head  of  the  organ  department  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Conser\"ator5\  In  addition  to  a  distinguished  position  as  organ  exec- 
utant, Mr.  Whiting  holds  high  rank  as  composer  for  that  instrument. 
His  principal  works  are  :  The  Organist,  containing  twelve  pieces  for  the 
organ  ;  three  preludes  for  organ  in  C  and  D  minor  ;  The  First  Six  Afo7iths 
on  the  Organ,  embracing  twenty-five  studies  ;  twenty  preludes  for  organ 
in  two  volumes  ;  mass  in  C  minor  for  four  solo  parts,  chorus  orchestra  and 
organ,  produced  1872  ;  mass  in  F  minor  for  chorus  orchestra  and  organ,  for 
opening  of  cathedral  in  Boston,  1874 ;  prologue  to  Longfellow's  Golden 
Lcgefid,  for  chorus  and  orchestra,  performed  in  1873  ;  cantata.  Dream  Pict- 
ures, performed  1877;  cantata.   The  Tale  of  the  Viking,  for  solos,  chorus 


-  '^         A.  ^^^Y 


^— ^y4^-*<-*-»/'>* 


251 


and  orchestra  ;  set  of  figured  vespers  ;  cantata  for  four  solo  voices,  chorus 
and  orchestra,  libretto  by  Burger  ;  concert  overture,  The  Princess;  PF. 
concerto  in  D  minor  ;  allegro  brilliant  for  orchestra  ;  fantasia  and  fugue  in 
E  minor  ;  sonata  in  A  minor ;  fantasia  in  F ;  three  concert  etudes  in  A 
minor,  F  and  B  flat ;  suite  for  violoncello  and  piano,  and  numerous  songs, 
church  services  and  miscellaneous  organ  pieces. 

Harrison  M.  Wild. 

It  was  as  organist  at  the  Ascension  church,  Chicago,  that  Harrison 
M.  Wild  made  his  first  impression  by  his  musical  gifts.  Ascension  church 
is  a  "  high  church  ' '  Episcopal  sanctuary,  and  the  music  has  ever  been  a 
most  important  feature  of  the  ser\4ces  since  the  daj-s  when  the  renowned 
Father  Ritchie  was  its  rector.  The  music  is  equal  to  that  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  cathedrals  of  Europe  in  the  quality  of  the  works  presented,  and  the 
writer  rembers  Mr.  Wild  when  as  a  mere  boy  of  fifteen,  or  thereabouts,  he 
presided  at  the  organ  of  this  church  and  played  the  masses  of  Mozart  and 
Goimod  in  the  style  of  a  veritable  artist.  After  an  experience  of  several 
years  here,  young  Wild  went  abroad,  and  when  he  returned  his  develop- 
ment was  most  conspicuous;  he  had  become  one  of  the  best  organists  in 
the  west,  and  as  such  he  is  entitled  to  rating  at  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Wild's  place  in  a  history  of  music  in  America  has  been  won  in  the  main 
by  reason  of  the  organ  concerts  he  has  given  in  Chicago,  these  having 
been  of  decided  influence  in  developing  a  taste  for  organ  music  of  the 
highest  class.  In  the  eight  years  that  he  has  been  prominently  before 
the  public  as  an  organist,  Mr.  Wild  has  given  no  fewer  than  loo  organ 
concerts,  and  he  has  appeared  in  as  many  more.  In  all  of  these  concerts 
the  repertoire  has  been  confined  to  the  works  of  the  masters  of  the 
' '  king  of  instruments, ' '  the  classic  and  the  romantic  periods  of  composition 
have  been  adequately  represented,  while  many  of  the  important  works  of 
the  modern  masters  have  been  brought  out  by  Mr.  Wild  for  the  first  time 
in  the  west.  In  this  way  he  has  certainly  contributed  valuably  to  the 
understanding  and  the  appreciation  of  the  public  for  organ  music.  This 
has,  thus  far,  been  Mr.  Wild's  mission  in  the  musical  world,  and  he  has 
fulfilled  it  ably.  Mr.  Wild  was  bom  at  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  in  1861.  For 
ten  years  he  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  the  best  instruction  afforded 
by  the  teachers  of  America,  studying  the  organ,  the  piano  and  musical 
theory  and  composition.  While  he  was  abroad  he  studied  with  the  late 
Dr.  Louis  Maas  (before  his  sojourn  in  this  country),  with  Bruno  Zwint- 
scher,  Alfred  Richter,  Dr.  Rust  and  others.  Although  his  time  is  employed 
with  a  large  class  of  piano  and  organ  pupils,  he  nevertheless  keeps  up  his 
own  study  and  practice  and  his  public  organ  recitals,  for  he  is  one  of  the 
most  earnest  and  diligent  of  workers.     There  is  an  impression  that  few 


253 


men  can  do  two  things  equally  well;  but  Mr.  Wild  appears  to  be  one  of 
the  few,  for  he  has  attained  almost  equal  success  as  a  pianist.  It  is  rarely 
that  an  organist  succeeds  as  a  pianist,  but  Mr.  Wild  is  an  admirable  per- 
former upon  the  pianoforte,  though  his  reputation  has  been  made  as  an 
organist.  At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Illinois  Music  Teachers'  Association, 
at  Peoria,  Mr.  Wild  appeared  as  organist,  pianist  and  essayist,  and  his  work 
in  all  three  departments  created  a  most  favorable  impression  upon  the 
many  veteran  teachers  present.  Mr.  Wild  is  a  3-oung  man,  his  career  has 
begun  brilliantly,  and  he  has  a  future  that  it  is  safe  to  prophesy  will  be 
more  brilliant  still. 

Henry  M.  Dunham. 
Henrj'  Morton  Dunham,  son  of  Isaac  A.  and  Augusta  L.  Dunham, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  North  Bridgewater  (since  called  Brockton),  July 
27,  1853.  He  graduated  from  the  high  school  of  that  place  in  1870, 
and  from  that  time  devoted  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  study  of 
music,  making  a  specialty  of  the  organ  and  composition.  Although 
having  made  several  trips  abroad,  he  is  purely  an  American-taught 
musician,  having  graduated  first  from  the  New  England  Conser\"atory  of 
Music  and  afterward  from  the  Boston  University  College  of  Music.  He 
became  one  of  the  corps  of  teachers  in  the  New  England  Conservatory  in 
1878,  and  has  been  connected  with  that  institution  ever  since.  He  also 
holds  a  professorship  in  the  Boston  University  College  of  Music.  As  a 
concert  organist  his  appearances  have  been  chiefly  confined  to  Boston  and 
immediate  vicinity,  because  of  demands  made  upon  his  time  by  conser\-a- 
tory  and  church.  He  gave  a  series  of  recitals  for  several  years  on  the 
"Great  Organ,"  in  Boston  music  hall,  plaj-ing  among  other  works  all 
the  greater  compositions  of  Bach  and  Thiele.  These  concerts  were  finally 
discontinued,  because  of  change  in  the  music  hall  management.  As  a 
church  organist  he  has  officiated  in  Boston  at  the  cathedral  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  the  church  of  the  Immaculate  Conception  and  the  Ruggles  street 
Baptist  church,  of  which  he  is  still  the  organist,  having  held  the  position 
for  the  last  ten  years.     His  published  works  are  as  follows: 

Exercises  in  Pedal  Playing;  Melodious  Studies  for  the  Organ;  A  System  oj 
Technique  for  Piano;  andantes  iu  A  flat  and  E  flat,  for  the  organ.  Capriccio  Brill- 
ante,  for  piano.  Sonata  in  G  minor,  for  organ;  Six  Original  Compositions  for  the 
Organ:  i.  Prcludio,  2.  Invocation,  j.  Rhapsodic,  4.  P'uga,  5.  Elevation,  6.  Marche 
H€roique;  prelude  to  a  gloria  (organ);  Offertoirc  iu  B  flat  (organ);  Festival  March 
(organ);  Select  arrangements  for  the  organ:  ^Ignus  Dei,  Gounod;  Ronianza,  Pabst; 
Adagio,  from  symphony  in  A,  Paine:  Reverie,  Mej-er-Helmund;  Introduction  and 
fugue  from  lOth  mass,  Mozart;  Bohemian  Melody  Berceuse,  Rubinstein;  Romance, 
Tous;  Christmas  Pastorale,  from  'Phe  Messiah,  Handel;  Hallelujah  Chorus,  from 
The  Messiah,  Handel;  Slumber  Song,  Hauser;  Sarabande,  Greig:  Prelude  from 
Rebekah,  Barnby;  Allegretto,  Hummel;  Wedding  A/arch,  Hoffmann;  Qui  Tollis, 
Haydn;  hymn  music  (three  hooks);  hymn  anthem,  O  Tell  I\fe,  Thou  Life;  three 
Etudes  in  Etude  Album  for  the  Organ,  edited  by  E.  E.  Truette. 


tyT^^^ff/^i^ 


Nathax  H.  Allex. 
As  an  organist  and  a  composer  of  church  and  organ  music  Mr.  Nathan 
H.  Allen  has  won  an  excellent  reputation,  and  during  the  period  of  his 
residence  at  Hartford  he  has  made  his  influen.ce  a  potent  factor  in  the 
musical  world  that  lies  within  the  boundaries  of  the  commonwealth  of 
Connecticut.  Mr.  Allen  was  born  at  Marion,  Mass.,  in  1848.  After  pur- 
suing his  studies  for  some  years  he  decided  to  complete  them  abroad,  and 
accordingly  he  departed  for  Germany  in  1867.  Locating  in  Berlin,  he 
placed  himself  under  the  guidance  of  the  famous  organist  and  preceptor, 
Haupt;  and  for  three  years  he  devoted  his  time  to  the  study  of  the  organ 
under  this  eminent  professor.  He  graduated  in  1870  and  returned  to  his 
native  land.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  Hartford,  where  he  has  ever 
since  been  conspicuous  in  musical  circles.  His  organ  recitals  every  season 
at  the  Center  church,  Hartford,  are  very  largely  attended  and  have  done 
much  for  the  creating  of  a  taste  for  the  best  of  organ  music.  He  has  been 
active  as  a  teacher,  and  many  of  the  younger  organists  in  that  region 
have  been  his  pupils,  not  a  few  of  them  being  distinguished  as  soloists 
and  holding  positions  of  responsibility.  Mr.  Allen's  compositions  have 
been  numerous  and  varied,  comprising  works  for  piano  and  organ,  church 
anthems  and  arias,  as  well  as  many  secular  songs.  He  is  a  thorough  and 
accomplished  musician.  Among  his  works  are  a  collection  of  twenty- 
six  German  four-part  songs;  seventeen  songs  for  different  voices;  several 
short  sacred  pieces,  quartettes  and  anthems;  fifteen  selections  from  the 
works  of  M.  G.  Fischer,  for  the  organ;  themes  and  varied  basses;  exer- 
cises in  pedal  playing,  arrangements  for  the  organ;  two  arrangements  for 
quintette  with  organ  accompaniment;  the  hymns  of  Martin  Luther,  set  to 
their  original  melodies,  with  an  English  version;  Te  Deum  in  D  flat,  for 
quartette  and  organ;  Fantasie  Impromptu  in  D  minor  for  pianoforte; 
Nocturne  in  G  minor  for  the  pianoforte;  three  winter  sketches  for  the 
•pianoforte.  There  are  also  in  the  press,  Dar-  Thula,  dramatic  song  from 
Ossian;  two  songs  for  soprano,  the  lover's  song  from  Kilrostan  and  Love's 
Messengers;  anthem.  Lift  Up  Thine  Eyes  Round  About;  three  hymns  of 
praise;  and  The  Flaitiingo,  part  song  for  male  chorus.  It  should  also  be 
mentioned  that  Mr.  Allen  has  a  considerable  number  of  compositions, 
mostly  instrumental,  in  manuscript;  among  them,  concert  pieces  for  organ, 
piano  and  organ,  violin  and  piano,  etc. 

Herve  D.  Wilkins. 

Mr.   Wilkins   is   well   known  in  professional   musical   circles   as   a 
talented  concert  organist,  pianist  and  teacher.     He  was  born  in  Italy, 

256 


j4<^^^^^^-LJU.iALt-yt 


257 


N.  Y.,  in  1848,  and  began  his  musical  career  as  a  choir  singer  at  the  age 
of  seven,  singing  successive!}'  soprano,  contralto  and  tenor  until  the  age 
of  eighteen,  when  he  became  organist  at  Auburn,  N.  Y.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  graduated  with  honors  at  the 
university  of  that  city.  With  this  general  preparation,  he  now  gave 
himself  to  special  preparation  for  his  life  work,  studying  composition  and 
organ  playing  under  Haupt,  piano  under  Theo.  Kullak  and  singing  with 
Kotzolt,  of  Berlin.  He  has  given  organ  recitals  in  the  principal  cities  ot 
the  countrj',  and  is  well  known  as  a  concert  organist  of  great  merit.  He 
has  also  given  several  series  —  nearly  one  hundred  in  all  —  of  piano  recitals 
at  Rochester,  and  is  also  widely  known  as  a  teacher  of  piano  and  singing. 
As  a  writer  and  lecturer  he  has  distinguished  himself  at  the  university  ot 
Rochester  and  elsewhere.  His  recent  composition.  Scene  Militaire,  has 
met  with  great  success  in  a  very  short  time.  Mr.  Wilkins  is  in  demand 
as  a  concert  organist,  having  appeared  many  times  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  He  is  the  inventor  and  patentee  of  the  various  mechanical 
devices  for  improving  the  effect  of  the  organ.  He  is  at  present  (1889)  the 
organist  of  the  Brick  church  at  Rochester,  where  he  controls  one  of  the 
largest  and  most  effective  organs  in  America. 

Louis  Falk. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Dec.  11,  1848,  in  Germany, 
but  came  with  his  parents  to  America  at  the  age  of  two  years,  and  may 
be  said,  therefore,  to  be  wholly  American.  His  parents  settled  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Pa.,  removing  afterward  to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  at  the 
age  of  seven  he  became  the  pupil  of  Prof  A.  Bauer  on  the  violin. 
A  year  later  he  began  the  study  of  the  pianoforte,  and  at  the  age  of  eleven 
we  find  him  officiating  as  organist  of  the  Pine  Street  Lutheran  church, 
Rochester.  In  1861  he  removed  with  his  parents  to  Chicago,  where  he 
was  organist  of  the  church  of  the  Holy  Name  until  1865.  His  organ 
practice  developed  such  promising  qualities  that  it  was  wisely  determined 
to  give  him  the  advantage  of  the  best  European  training,  and  accordingly 
in  1865  he  went  to  Europe  and  studied  for  two  years  under  the  eminent 
composer  and  virtuoso.  Dr.  William  Volckmar,  in  Homberg,  Hesse  Cassel, 
after  which  he  took  a  two  5'ears'  course  of  music  at  the  Leipzig  conserva- 
torj'  under  Moscheles,  Papperitz,  Richter,  Moritz  Hauptmann,  Reinecke, 
and  David.  Here  he  graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class  in  organ  playing, 
and  after  traveling  through  Europe  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided.  He  became  organist  at  Dr.  Coll  jeer's  Unity  church, 
and  in  Sept.  1869,  became  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  faculty  of  Chi- 
cago Musical  College,  with  which  he  is  still  connected,  and  where  his  work 

258 


is  most  important  in  the  transmission  and  diflfusion  of  the  best  methods  in 
organ  playing.  He  has  also  been  known  as  a  successful  organizer  and 
conductor  in  many  important  musical  events.  He  was  among  the  first  to 
make  organ  concerts  popular  in  the  western  metropolis,  and  has  done 
much  to  cultivate  taste  for  and  appreciation  of  this  elevated  sphere  of 
musical  life  and  beauty.  His  playing  is  marked  by  brilliancy  of  its  lights 
and  shades,  the  melodic  fluency  of  his  interpretations,  and  ease  and  dex- 
terity in  manual  and  pedal  movements.  He  has  a  distinguished  faculty 
in  the  production  of  novel  effects  in  the  combination  of  stops,  and  as  a 
sight  reader  and  in  the  art  of  transposition,  he  has  few  equals.  He  com- 
bines the  best  qualities  of  a  thorough  musician  by  nature  united  with  and 
subordinated  to  a  thorough  equipment  in  the  best  schools  of  harmony  and 
theory. 

I.  V.    Flagler. 

This  celebrated  concert  organist  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1842. 
His  musical  bent  showed  itself  in  boyhood,  and  at  a  very  early  age  he 
was  noted  for  the  dash  and  brilliancy  with  which  he  played  the  piano. 
He  was  a  diligent  student  of  the  instrument  under  the  best  private  in- 
structors at  home,  and  under  famous  masters  abroad,  going  to  Europe 
many  times  for  tuition  and  travel.  After  completing  his  musical  educa- 
tion in  the  old  world,  he  came  back  to  America  and  for  two  years  was 
organist  and  choir  master  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  in  Albany. 
He  then  went  to  Chicago,  where  for  seven  years  he  was  the  presiding 
musical  gen  us  at  Plymouth  church.  He  passed  the  summer  months  at 
Chautauqua,  where  his  recitals  were  extremely  popular. 

For  several  years  Mr.  Flagler  gave  organ  recitals,  embodying  the 
best  music,  at  Cornell  and  Syracuse  Universities,  and  he  has  also  given 
public  organ  recitals  in  New  York,  Boston,  Chicago  and  other  principal 
cities,  warmly  welcomed  wherever  he  went.  For  a  number  of  j'ears  he 
has  been  organist  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  at  Auburn,  and  is  also 
instructor  of  music  in  the  Theological  Seminary  in  that  city.  As  a  con- 
cert organist  Mr.  Flagler  has  a  national  reputation.  His  playing  is 
always  brilliant,  smooth  and  facile,  and  in  pedalling  and  registration  he 
has  few  equals.  He  has  written  quite  a  number  of  pieces  for  the  organ, 
mainlj'  of  the  popular  school.  Among  them  are  variations  on  American 
airs,  which  has  had  a  great  run,  and  which  Eddy  played  in  Paris  in  1889; 
some  sacred  songs  and  anthems.  He  has  also  written  a  comic  opera, 
called  Paradise,  to  be  brought  out  shortlj-  in  New  York,  and  many  other 
compositions,  at  present  existing  only  in  manuscript,  but  which  will  no 
doubt  see  the  light  some  day.  Mr.  Flagler  is  now  instructor  of  the  organ 
at  the  Utica  Conservatorv  of  Music. 

260 


j.K  f:& 


26t 


LITURGICAL  MUSIC. 

^^HE  rise  of  vested  choirs  in  the  Episcopal  church  in  America  syn- 
chronizes with  the  rise  of  the  ' '  Oxford.  Movement, ' '  which  began 
in  England  about  fifty  years  since.  That  was  an  effort  to  rehabil- 
itate the  Established  Church  of  that  countrj-  as  the  Catholic  church 

of  the  land.     The  leaders  of  the  movement,  Keble,  Newman,  Puse\- 

and  others,  taught  that  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England  were 
in  exact  agreement  with  the  catholic  past;  that  its  ministry  was  of  apos- 
tolic descent,  and  that  its  worship  should  express  these  facts.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  latter  idea  their  enthusiastic  followers  began  at  once  the  im- 
provement of  the  services.  This  led  to  a  marked  development  in  archi- 
tecture, in  the  liturgic  uses  of  the  church,  including  the  adoption  of  the 
ancient  vestments  for  the  clergy,  the  use  of  lights  and  incense,  and  a  rev- 
erent care  for  the  music  used,  which  latter  was  considered  not  as  a  merely 
ornamental  adjunct,  but  rather  a  part  of  the  great  sacrifice  which  the 
church  should  ever  offer. 

This  Oxford  movement  in  due  course  reached  the  Episcopal  church 
in  America.  Here,  as  in  England,  it  has  also  left  its  impress,  which 
shows  itself  in  the  assertion  of  catholic  dogma,  the  claim  for  an  apostolic 
ministry,  and  the  expression  of  all  this  in  church  buildings,  vestments, 
ancient  liturgic  customs  and  the  use  of  music  as  an  integral  part  of  divine 
worship. 

The  cathedral  choirs  in  England,  held  together  from  pre-reformation 
times  by  ancient  endowments,  gave  the  parochial  clergy  of  England  a 
model  which  they  could  copy  in  their  own  parish  churches,  but  in 
America  we  had  no  such  precedent.  The  leaders  of  church  progress  in 
this  country,  when  they  endeavored  to  improve  the  musical  worship  ot 
the  Episcopal  church,  had  to  combat  many  prejudices,  hence  the  rise  of 
vested  choirs  in  our  land  was,  until  the  movement  had  taken  root  in  the 
west,  of  slow  growth. 

The  first  person  to  take  a  step  in  this  direction  was  the  Rev.  Frances 
L.  Hawks,  D.D.,  at  St.  Paul's  college,  Flushing,  L.  I.,  about  the  year 
1839.  The  opposition,  however,  was  so  marked  that  the  custom  of  putting 
the  college  choir  into  surplices  was  dropped.     The  use  of  boys'  voices  in 


the  ser\'ice  was  continued,  however,  under  the  guidance  of  the  Re\\  Dr. 
Muhlenberg,  then  connected  with  the  college. 

In  the  3-ear  1846,  Dr.  Muhlenberg  took  charge  of  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Communion,  Twentieth  street  and  Sixth  avenue,  New  York 
city.  Here  for  years  the  entire  musical  ser\"ice  was  rendered  by  men  and 
boys,  but  the  surplice  was  not  used.  The  feasibility  of  boys'  voices  for 
use  in  the  musical  worship  of  the  church  was  nevertheless  demonstrated, 
and  ere  long,  in  other  churches,  where  more  attention  was  paid  to  liturgic 
advances,  the  vested  choir  was  introduced.  Among  the  first  of  the.se 
churches  was  that  of  the  Advent  in  Boston,  Mass.  Here  in  great  per- 
fection we  find  a  vested  choir  in  full  use  about  1856,  under  the  skillful 
charge  of  Dr.  Henry  Stephen  Cutler,  happily  yet  living,  and  able  to  look 
out  on  the  wonderful  development  of  vested  choirs  which  now  has  place 
in  America.  Dr.  Cutler  was  a  man  thoroughly  endued  with  the  spirit 
of  sixteenth  century  music.  He  had  made  a  careful  study  of  his  art  in 
all  the  English  cathedrals,  and  understood  the  true  scope  and  objects  of 
the  vested  choir.  Services  and  anthems  of  the  best  English  type  were 
produced,  and  Dr.  Cutler's  own  compositions  stand  out  in  their  simple 
elegance  and  faultless  proportion  like  beautiful  specimens  of  early 
English  Gothic  architecture.  In  due  course  of  time  Dr.  Cutler  was 
called  to  succeed  Dr.  Hodges  as  organist  of  Trinitj'  church,  New  York, 
with  the  understanding  that  the  vested  choir  should  shortlj'  be  estab- 
lished. This  was,  nevertheless,  delayed  for  some  time,  and  not  until  the 
visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  to  America  and  his  attendance  at  Trinity 
church  did  the  choir  appear  in  surplices.  Ever  since  that  time  the  use 
has  continued  there.  It  was  years,  however,  before  the  custom  had 
much  headway.  In  two  places  alone  in  New  York  citj'  were  vested 
choirs  to  be  seen,  one  at  the  top  of  the  ecclesiastical  sphere,  '  'Old  Trinity, ' ' 
the  other  in  "Madison  Street  Mission  Chapel,"  an  upper  room  over  a 
stable,  supported  by  Mr.  Hecker.  From  those  two  fountains  flowed  out 
the  musical  influences  which  have  extended  over  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Hecker's  chapel  has  ceased  to  exist,  but  there  first  was  heard  in  this 
country  a  choral  English  mass  with  surpliced  choir  of  men  and  boys. 
As  we  have  said,  it  was  not  until  the  movement  took  root  in  the  west 
that  it  found  increase  and  vigor.  When  it  had  place  among  us  in  the 
primitive  conditions  of  Illinois  or  Wisconsin  then  it  was  seen  to  be  a 
plant  of  possible  American  growth,  and  not  a  mere  English  exotic  care- 
fully nurtured  in  the  favorable  atmosphere  of  wealth}-  churches  in  New 
York. 

The  first  western  vested  choir  was  that  of  Racine  College,  Wisconsin, 
under  the  wardenship  of  Dr.  De  Koven.     Though  no  musician  himself,  he 

263 


yet  felt  that  music  ever  formed  an  integral  part  of  all  catholic  worship, 
and  hence  without  delay  introduced  the  vested  choir  in  the  college  chapel. 
The  next  in  point  of  time  was  the  Cathedral  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul, 
Chicago.  The  choir  in  this  church  was  trained  and  duly  vested  in  1870, 
or  possibly  one  year  before,  and  was  in  charge  of  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Knowles, 
who  continued  his  work  until  1884.  He,  while  a  student  at  the  general 
Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  had  been  a  member  of  Trinity  choir 
under  Dr.  Cutler,  and  from  this  experience  brought  valuable  practical 
knowledge  to  his  work  in  Chicago.  As  j-ears  sped  on,  surpliced  choirs 
were  introduced  into  one  after  another  of  the  Episcopal  churches  in 
Chicago  and  vicinity,  until  now,  within  a  short  distance,  and  in  it, 
there  are  over  twenty  vested  choirs. 

The  increase  all  over  the  United  'States  and  territories  is  somewhat 
phenomenal.  At  Garden  City.  L.  I.,  is  an  endowed  vested  choir  in  the 
Cathedral  of  the  Incarnation,  where  the  musical  services  are  equal  to  those 
heard  in  any  church  in  England,  if  not  superior  to  any.  At  Albany, 
N.  Y. ,  is  another  well  established  cathedral  choir ;  in  Portland,  Me. , 
we  also  find  another;  in  Denver,  Colo.,  another;  in  distant  Wyoming 
and  Oregon  ;  in  California  and  Louisiana  ;  in  all  parts  of  the  country, 
then,  the  vested  choir  has  been  developed. 

This  movement  corresponds  with  a  similar  movement  in  the  Roman 
communion,  the  result  of  the  Cecilian  Society,  whose  object  is  to  secure  for 
the  liturgy  of  the  church  a  grave  and  reverent  rendering  and  the  use  of 
strictly  appropriate  'music.  The  use  of  the  English  tongue  and  the  well 
established  position  of  Anglican  choirs  near  the  altar  insure  for  the 
vested  choir  in  the  Episcopal  church  effective  and  rapid  progress.  In 
all  movements  with  anj^  impetus  there  arise  certain  dangers,  and  the 
vested  choir  movement  has  its  own  evils  to  be  studiously  prevented. 

The  first  evil  is  that,  in  a  zeal  for  liturgical  propriety,  and  in  a  pre- 
dominance of  ecclesiastical  over  musical  interests,  the  artistic  excellence 
of  choir  work  may  be  obscured,  overlooked,  or,  indeed,  willfully  neglected. 
This  spirit  will  select  the  archaic  simply  because  it  is  archaic,  and,  utterlj' 
neglecting  the  hard  work  and  artistic  ability  necessary  for  the  production 
of  such  music,  will,  in  an  ecstasy  of  devotion,  butcher  chant,  anthem 
and  service,  and  think  that  the  service  of  God  is  set  forth  thereby. 

The  second  evil  is  that  a  zeal  for  artistic  propriety  will  shut  out  all 
reverence,  devotion  and  true  liturgic  coherence.  The  beautiful,  the  emo- 
tional, the  sensational,  is  alone  sought  for,  and  all  sacrificed  for  that. 
There  is  more  danger  of  this  latter  evil  than  of  the  first  in  our  American 
society.  Already  vested  choirs  are  becoming  luxuries;  the  governing 
spirit  in  some  seems  to  be  to  captivate  the  popular  ear,  and  obtain  mere 

264 


effect  and  not  primarily  to  offer  the  sacrifice  of  prayer  and  praise,  and  to 
lead  the  devotions  of  the  people.  The  choir  work  becomes  a  public  per- 
formance, and  the  impersonal  and  spiritual  effect  of  the  vested  choir 
becomes  altogether  nullified.  There  is  no  necessity,  however,  for  either 
evil,  though  each  must  ever  be  suspected,  and  duly  fought  against.  All 
will  be  well  if  it  is  remembered  that  all  music  must  be  worship,  and  that 
while  it  is  worship,  it  must  never  cease  to  be  music. 

In  connection  with  this  brief  sketch  of  the  rise  and  progress  ot 
vested  choirs  in  America  it  may  be  well  to  add  a  word  about  the  method 
of  their  instruction.  Our  public  schools  are  apt  to  injure  our  boys'  voices 
by  allowing  them  to  shout  with  loud  tones,  or  to  grind  out  low  sounds, 
supposed  to  be  alto,  while  the  girls  are  trained  upon  the  soprano  part. 
The  purest  soprano  voices  may  be  found  among  boys,  and  the  most 
exquisite  quality  of  tone  may  be  produced  by  always  training  them  to 
sing  with  the  head  voice,  coming  down  the  scale  to  the  lowest  practical 
note,  without  change.  Such  voice  may  seem  to  lack  force  at  first,  but 
after  a  little  practice,  and  a  due  use  of  the  interior  portions  of  the  mouth 
and  palate,  a  heroic  singing  quality  will  be  obtained,  which  boys'  voices 
alone  can  give.  For  the  harmonic  parts  of  music  in  boy  choirs,  men's 
voices  are  best.  Boy  altos,  with  rare  exceptions,  have  a  gross  quality  of 
tone,  which  does  not  blend  well  with  the  soprano,  tenor  or  bass.  The 
English  alto,  or  counter  tenor,  as  sung  by  men,  if  given  with  purity 
and  taste,  has  a  more  dignified  effect,  and  is  especially  suitable  for  eccle- 
siastical music.  That,  as  j^et,  is  a  rare  voice  in  America.  Without  it,  how- 
ever, the  best  effects  of  the  sixteenth  century  writers  cannot  be  produced 
in  true  form  or  spirit.  With  due  care  the  boy  alto  may  be  minimized  in 
its  evils,  and  developed  to  a  rich  and  helpful  harmonic  condition,  but  the 
men's  is  best. 

In  the  effort  at  artistic  development  in  church  music  the  vested  choir 
is  sometimes  supplemented  by  women's  voices.  Wherever  this  is  done  it 
is  an  admission  of  ineflSciency  in  the  work  of  the  vested  choir,  which  is, 
not  to  furnish  a  sensuous  musical  entertainment  to  those  who  paj^  them 
for  their  services,  but  to  lead  the  solemn  worship  of  the  church, 
which  is  outside  of  and  above  the  range  of  amusement,  and  beyond  the 
circle  of  mere  musical  criticism. 

It  is  with  great  pleasure,  for  many  reasons,  that  we  present  the  fol- 
lowing autobiographical  reminiscences  of  the  Rev.  Canon  J.  H.  Knowles, 
who  has  been  so  prominent  in  connection  with  church  music  for  many 
years,  and  in  whose  active  life  so  many  musical  influences  meet  and  find 
expression  : 


Rev.  J.  H.  Knowles. 

My  first  musical  memory,  when,  I  imagine,  the  love  of  music  woke 
within  me,  was  now  nearly  fifty  years  since.  It  was  in  a  glen  in  Ireland. 
We  were  driving  on,  full  of  anticipations  as  to  the  city,  with  all  its  won- 
ders, but  a  burst  of  song  birds  and  the  cuckoo's  note,  coming  from  the 
depths  of  trees  all  in  bloom,  gave  me  a  new  sensation,  and  my  heart  was 
touched  as  never  before. 

Henceforth  the  Irish  songs,  the  street  musicians,  the  notes  of  birds 
were  real  pleasures.  As  a  child  I  sang  with  others,  but  have  no  distinct 
memory  of  church  music  until  a  new  range  of  emotion  was  touched,  when 
I  first  attended  the  service  at  the  old  cathedral  of  St.  Finn  Barr  in  my 
native  place,  Cork.  The  white-robed  boys,  their  clear  voices,  their  ruddy 
cheeks,  the  ponderous  basses,  the  strong  tenors,  the  resounding  organs, 
the  mysterious-looking  monuments,  the  black-robed  verger,  the  dignified 
clergy,  the  ancient  bishop,  all  impressed  me.  Often  would  I  stand  as  a 
child  out  in  the  sunshine  of  the  graveyard  and  watch  the  white-robed 
procession  as  it  filed  out  from  its  vestry  room  near  the  front  door  and 
vanished  into  the  blackness  of  the  interior,  as  if  they  had  gone  into  another 
world.  My  constant  attendance,  even  as  a  child,  won  me  recognition, 
and  my  happiness  was  complete  when  the  verger  would  put  me  in  the 
stalls,  and  one  of  the  choir  men  give  me  a  book  of  the  anthems  to  follow 
the  words  of  the  singing.  Another  great  source  of  pleasure  to  me  was  to 
wander  from  church  to  church  in  Holy  Week — I  mean  those  of  the  Roman 
communion.  I  knew  very  little  of  what  it  all  meant.  I  did  it  by  stealth. 
Were  I  caught  going  to  such  ' '  idolatrous  ' '  places  woe  betide  me.  How- 
ever, I  went,  all  the  same.  How  delicious  it  was,  the  rapt  crowds,  the  de- 
votees, the  strange  want  of  reverence,  as  I  thought,  in  some  of  the  old 
women  who  would  use  no  measured  language  if  I  pushed  against  them 
while  telling  their  beads.  I  braved  it  all,  however,  for  the  sake  of  the 
monotonous  chants  from  the  seated  priests,  with  the  altar  boys  holding 
tapers  among  the  mysterious  ranks.  Sacred  or  secular  music  was  all  alike 
to  me  in  those  days.  I  did  not  know  then  why  the  Sixth  TonCy  sung  with 
stately  dignity  to  words  which  I  knew  not,  drew  me  to  my  childish 
knees,  and  when  afterward  I  learned  that  the  old  musicians  called  that 
tone  dcvotiis  I  felt  they  must  have  known  what  they  were  talking  about. 
I  have  heard  high  mass  at  Cologne  and  the  same  at  St.  Peter's,  but  the 
echoes  of  the  Sixth  Tone,  as  heard  by  my  childish  ears  in  the  Dominican 
church  at  Cork  in  Holy  Week  years  ago  has  not  been  effaced. 

Happy  days,  though  I  knew  nothing  of  music  but  its  divine  power. 
How  I  looked  forward  to  Christmas,  with  its  autheins  from  Handel,  and 

266 


26; 


my  especial  favorites,  the  Pastoral  Symphony  and  There  Were  Shepherds. 
Of  the  first  I  knew  onl}-  that  it  reminded  me  of  incense  floating  upward, 
and  the  solo  boj-  was,  iu  my  eyes,  an  actual  angel.  So  time  passed  on. 
Gradually  my  musical  senses  were  awakened.  At  a  local  e:s:hibition  in 
Cork  I  heard  Julien's  orchestra,  and  heard  my  first  great  singer,  Mme. 
Persiani,  then  in  the  decline,  but  a  marvel  to  me.  Julien,  who  could  for- 
get him  and  his  self-enraptured  conducting  ?  I  was,  in  due  time,  as  part 
of  my  poor  fate  and  family  reverses,  apprenticed  to  a  bookbinder  and  sta- 
tioner, but  music  lightened  all  my  load.  My  employer,  good  man,  was 
an  amateur,  and  through  his  kindness  I  heard  manj^  an  ' '  Antient  Con- 
cert"  in  the  rooms  of  the  Imperial  hotel,  Pembroke  street.  Ads  and 
Galatea,  The  Messiah,  The  Creation,  and  other  works  now  forgotten.  I 
revelW  in  them  with  a  real  rapture.  It  was  alwaj-s  a  fashionable  com- 
pany, but  I  fancy  the  little  unknown  bo\^  in  the  corner  had  as  much  real 
pleasure  as  any  of  them. 

My  first  knowledge  of  notes  was  derived  from  Joseph  Mainzer,  who 
made  a  tour  of  the  British  Isles,  teaching  the  masses,  but  somehow,  pos- 
sibly from  the  want  of  opportunity,  and  also  through  change  of  voice,  I 
never  got  ver}^  far.  How  to  apply  what  I  had  learned  to  read  other 
music  never  occurred  to  me.  I  gave  all  my  attention  in  over-hours  to 
drawing  and  reading  works  on  art.  Time  fled.  Kinsfolk  came  across  the 
water;  I  followed,  and  1854  found  me  in  Chicago.  My  spare  time  from 
the  workshop  was  ever  devoted  to  art  in  some  form,  and  pleasant  are  the 
memories  of  concerts  given  under  Cady,  Hans  Balatka,  Carl  Zerrahn  and 
others,  but  yet  I  had  not  learned  to  play  or  sing  intelligently.  It  was  not 
until  thrown  into  the  society  of  others,  in  the  intimacy  caused  by  resi- 
dence together  during  the  long  winters,  and  the  enforced  seclusion  of  an 
Illinois  midland  town,  that  I  gradually  found  I  cound  sing  a  part  and 
learn  to  play.  From  that  time  onward  I  sought  lessons.  Mj^  first  teacher 
was  a  Frenchman  in  Alton,  named  Trenchery.  He  was  blind,  but  a  most 
apt  musician.  He  taught  me  a  little  harmony  from  the  very  first,  and  so 
opened  up  before  me  some  of  the  inner  delights  and  m3'Steries  of  music. 
There  I  played  the  orgen  in  church,  much  to  my  own  surprise,  but  to 
the  satisfaction  of  those  who  could  get  no  better  performer.  So  the  years 
fled.  As  a  solace  from  the  cares  and  worries  of  business  music  was  ever 
with  me,  and  at  last  when,  in  1861,  I  determined  to  stud}-  for  the  ministn,-, 
music  went  with  me  to  college  and  to  seminary,  and  has  continued  with 
me  ever  since.  M}-  college  years  were  spent  with  Dr.  Chase,  at  Jubilee, 
Peoria  county,  111.,  and  my  services  there  were  in  the  chapel.  At  the 
General  Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  I  had  the  happiness  of  introduc- 


ing  the  first  choral  service  in  the  chapel  there,  and  had  the  advantage  of 
being  a  member  of  Trinity  choir,  under  Dr.  Cutler. 

After  graduation  I  came  back  to  Cliicago  and  was  detailed  for  duty 
at  Aurora  and  Naper\nlle.  In  the  former  place  I  presume  the  first  choral 
service  in  the  west  was  held  on  one  wet  vSunday  morning,  when  not  a 
soul  came  to  church  but  myself,  the  quartette  choir,  the  sexton  and  Mr. 
W.  S.  B.  Mathews,  the  organist.  He,  ever  eager  for  new  knowledge, 
had  got  from  me  all  the  points  of  the  choral  service,  so  then  and  there  we 
had  a  solemn  function  all  by  ourselves,  the  choir  in  the  galler}^  the 
parson  in  the  chancel,  the  church  empty  (of  all  but  angels)  and  the 
sexton  looking  wonderingly  on.  At  Naper\'ille  an  evening  .service  was 
established  with  a  double  choir  of  men  and  women,  where  full  choral 
service  was  duly  rendered.  This  was  a  delight  and  comfort  to  all  con- 
cerned, and  for  more  than  a  j-ear  after  I  left  it  was  kept  up  with  vigor. 
In  1867  I  was  called  to  the  cathedral,  where  the  choir  was  under  my 
direction  until  I  left,  in  1884,  for  mj^  present  charge,  the  church  of  St. 
Clement. 

At  the  cathedral  was  the  first  surpliced  choir  in  Chicago;  more  than 
five  hundred  men  and  boys  passed  through  its  ranks  during  my  headship. 
Here  were  heard  for  the  first  time  in  the  west  the  works  of  Handel, 
Haydn,  Purcell,  Croft  and  others  of  the  English  .school,  besides  the 
modern  works  of  Gounod,  Smart,  Elvey,  Macfarren,  Stainer  and  Barnby, 
performed  by  men  and  bo3^s. 

After  leaving  the  cathedral,  where  the  three  fold  dut}-  of  priest, 
preacher  and  precentor  was  carried  on  for  .so  many  years,  I  determined 
not  to  undertake  again  the  detail  work  of  church  music,  so  in  my 
present  charge  I  am  ably  helped  by  my  organist,  Mr.  P.  C.  Lutkin,  who, 
one  of  my  old  choristers  at  the  cathedral,  grew  up  from  boyhood  to  man- 
hood under  m}-  eye.  But  mj^  interest  in  music  and  faith  in  its  power  is 
as  great  as  ever.  I  know  very  little  about  it,  but  the  culmination  of  all 
art  as  presented  by  Wagner  in  his  Parsifal  revives  in  my  heart  the 
memor>^  of  iwy  first  conscious  thrill  of  nuisical  perception.  The  Good 
Friday  music  of  the  Parsifal  and  the  scene  in  Siegfried,  where  he  listens 
to  the  voices  of  the  birds  and  the  sounds  in  nature  with  intelligence,  bring 
back  to  my  mind  the  spring  morning  in  Ireland  when  I  first  awoke  to  a 
conscious  love  of  music.  Maj-  our  awakening  in  eternity  be  to  continued 
delights.  J.  H.  Knowles. 


269 


Henry  Stephen  Cutler,  Mrs.  Doc, 
Was  born  in  Boston,  Oct.  13,  1825.  He  early  developed  a  great  talent 
for  music.  His  teachers  were  George  Hughes,  George  F.  Root,  A,  U. 
Haj'ter,  who  was  then  organist  of  Trinity,  Boston,  an  Englishman  by 
birth  (he  was  not  a  Mus.  Doc.)  and  one  of  the  leading  musicians  of  Bos- 
ton at  that  time  (1844);  he  died  in  Dorchester,  near  Boston,  of  paralysis- 
in  the  year  1858.  Dr.  Cutler  was  sent  by  his  father  to  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main  in  Germany,  in  1844,  to  pursue  the  study  of  music,  his  teachers 
being  one  for  the  piano  and  one  for  violin.  The  time  spent  in  study  was 
two  j'ears.  While  in  Europe  Dr.  Cutler  became  very  much  interested  in 
the  great  cathedrals  of  Great  Britain  and  visited  as  many  as  possible, 
London  being  the  great  center  from  which  he  first  received  his  impres- 
sions of  the  church  service  rendered  by  their  exceptionally  well  trained 
choirs,  inspiring  in  him  the  determination,  when  he  returned  to  his  native 
city,  to  organize  a  choir  made  up  as  the  choirs  are  in  the  English  cathe- 
drals of  men  and  boys.  After  returning  to  America  Dr.  Cutler  was 
appointed  organist  of  Grace  church,  Boston.  In  1854  he  was  called  to  the 
Church  of  the  Advent  (Boston),  where  there  was  a  mixed  choir  in  the  gal- 
lery. Subsequently,  at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Cutler,  the  organ  was  removed 
to  the  chancel,  and  two  choirs  of  men  and  boys  were  stationed  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  chancel,  being  designated  as  decani  and  cantoris. 
This  choir  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  surpliced  choir  in  America. 
At  the  present  day  some  of  the  men  singing  in  the  Advent  choir  were  boys 
under  Dr.  Cutler.  The  introduction  of  surpliced  men  and  boys  as  chor- 
isters was  then  regarded  by  many  as  a  popish  innovation.  This  prejudice 
was  carried  so  far  that  Bishop  Eastburn,  of  Massachusetts,  declined  to  go 
to  the  Church  of  the  Advent  officially  for  an)^  purpose  whatever,  so  long 
as  the  ritualistic  features  were  in  vogue,  and  for  eleven  j-ears  the  bishop 
of  Massachusetts  utterly  refused  to  visit  the  church  for  the  purpose  of 
administering  the  rite  of  confirmation.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  a 
vote  taken  by  the  House  of  Bishops  compelled  him  to  waive  his  personal 
feeling  in  the  matter  and  perform  the  functions  of  his  office. 

In  1858  Dr.  Cutler  was  called  to  temporarilj^  take  the  place  of  Dr. 
Hodges,  of  Trinity  church.  New  York  cit3\  (who  was  striken  with  paral- 
ysis). Dr.  Cutler  assumed  direction  of  the  music,  remaining  in  charge 
of  the  Advent  choir  in  Boston  as  well,  for  a  considerable  time,  until  obliged 
to  abandon  the  Advent  choir,  that  he  might  give  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  work  at  Trinity,  New  York.  Dr.  Hodges  had  a  leave  of 
absence  for  six  months,  and  thereupon  visited  Bristol,  Eng.  (his  native 
city).  At  the  expiration  of  this  leave  of  absence  it  was  extended  bj'  the 
vestrj^  six  months  longer.  Dr.  Cutler  meanwhile  remaining  in  charge  of 


the  music  at  Trinity.  Meanwhile,  by  the  consent  of  the  rector  and  vestry, 
the  women  of  the  choir  were  dismissed  leaving  men  and  boj'S  to  sustain 
the  four  vocal  parts.  Dr.  Hodges  was  never  able  to  resume  his  position, 
and  on  his  return  to  America  resigned  from  Trinity,  returned  to  Bristol, 
and  a  year  after  passed  to  the  life  eternal.  Dr.  Cutler  then  determined  to 
organize  and  train  the  choir  preparatory^  to  vesting  and  placing  in  the 
chancel,  which  had  to  be  done  graduall}-,  as  many  people  in  the  parish 
were  very  much  opposed  to  this  innovation.  After  two  j-ears  at  Trinity 
the  first  occasion  of  the  choir  being  vested  in  the  chancel  was  the  Sunday 
preceeding  the  visit  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  Oct.  15,  i860,  this  event  giv- 
ing Dr.  Cutler  the  opportunity  of  carrying  his  purpose  into  effect,  as  it 
was  thought  not  proper  to  present  the  service  before  so  august  a  personage 
without  surplicing  the  choir.  The  surplices  on  for  a  public  ser\nce,  they 
had  come  to  stay,  the  vestments  having  been  given  to  the  church  six  months 
previously. 

The  next  difficulty  was  to  accompany  the  choir  with  the  gallery 
organ.  After  much  urging,  the  vestry  consented  to  put  in  a  chancel  organ, 
in  1865.  Dr.  Cutler  had  received  from  Columbia  College  his  degree  of 
Mus.  Doc.  in  the  previous  year,  the  third  time  the  degree  had  been  con- 
ferred in  this  country.  He  left  Trinity  church  in  1865  and  took  charge 
at  Christ  church.  New  York  citj-,  where  there  was  a  surpliced  choir  in  the 
chancel  and  mixed  choir  in  the  gallery,  at  that  time  the  only  choir  so 
organized  in  any  Protestant  church  in  America.  Other  positions  held  by 
Dr.  Cutler  were  at  St.  Ann's,  Brooklyn;  St.  Stephen's,  Providence;  St. 
Mark's,  Philadelphia.  Zion  church,  New  York  cit}-;  St.  Paul's,  Troy. 
This  latter  position  Dr.  Cutler  resigned  in  1885,  since  which  time  he  has 
resided  in  his  native  city,  Boston,  not  in  an}^  active  work,  as  his  health 
has  been  such  that  his  physicians  recommended  a  rest  from  certain  study 
in  his  profession.  Dr.  Cutler  married  in  1883  Miss  Ella  F.  McNoah,  of 
Troy. 

Dr.  Cutler  has  written  twenty  compositions  for  the  organ,  among 
them  three  andantes,  three  variations,  sarabande,  toccata,  six  fugues  and 
three  canons.  He  is  also  the  composer  of  nine  services,  thirty-four 
anthems,  107th  Psalm  in  cantata  form,  and  a  number  of  excellent  hymn 
tunes,  among  which  we  may  mention  The  Son  of  God  Goes  Forth  to  War, 
and  Brightest  and  Best  of  the  Sons  of  the  Morjiing. 

Samuel  Benton  Whitney. 

This  celebrated  organist  and  director  of  church  music  was  born  at 
Wood.stock,  Vt.,  June  4,  1842.  After  pursuing  musical  .studies  for  .some 
time  with  various  teachers,  Charles  Wels,  of  New  York,  being  the  last, 


S.  B.  Whitney. 


273 


he  returned  to  Montpelier  and  was  organist  in  Christ  church  for  four 
years.  In  1870  he  resumed  his  studies  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  John 
K.  Paine,  assisting  him  also  as  organist  in  Appleton  chapel.  In  1871  he 
was  appointed  organist  of  the  Church  of  the  Advent,  Boston,  where  he 
has  ever  since  remained.  In  this  position  he  has  been  identified  with 
liturgical  music,  vested  choirs,  and  a  reverent  performance  of  church 
music.  As  an  organist  he  belongs  to  the  strict  school,  and  but  for  his 
modesty  would  be  much  oftener  heard  outside  the  walls  of  his  own 
church.  He  is  professor  of  the  organ  and  lecturer  in  the  New  England 
Conservatory,  and  in  Boston  University,  and  is  a  member  of  many  musical 
associations.  Mr.  Whitney  is  also  a  prominent  member  of  the  American 
College  of  Musicians,  and  one  of  the  examiners  in  the  department  of  the 
organ.  Mr.  Whitney  has  written  much  music,  mostly  for  church  or  the 
organ,  but  unfortunately  it  has  not  been  possible  to  obtain  a  complete  list 
for  insertion  here. 

The  following  resume  of  the  present  state  of  the  vested  choir  move- 
ment has  been  prepared  for  this  work  by  one  of  the  most  competent  organ- 
ists and  choir  masters. 

Present  State  of  the  Vested  Choir  Movement. 

The  present  state  of  the  vested  choir  movement  is  gratifying  to  its 
advocates.  Its  growth  in  the  last  ten  years  has  been  so  rapid  that  there 
are  no  available  data  as  to  its  present  actual  strength.  Each  recur- 
ring Advent  finds  in  nearly  every  diocese  several  additional  churches 
which  have  displaced  quartette  and  introduced  a  vested  choir  of  boj-s  and 
men.  In  the  middle  west  the  increase  is  greater  than  in  other  sections. 
The  arguments  urged  for  the  vested  choir  over  the  time-honored  quartette 
are  practically  as  follows:  "  It  is  more  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  praise 
and  worship  to  the  Deity;  it  lends  itself  to  the  grand  liturgy,  impressing 
the  eye  as  well  as  the  heart;  it  is  the  best  incentive  to  congregational 
singing;  it  influences  for  good,  and  often  wholly  shapes  the  lives  of  hun- 
dreds of  youth,  in  purity  and  moralitj-,  and  thereby  carries  this  influence 
to  many  homes;  it  gives  an  education  in  vocal  music  to  boys  whose 
parents  often  could  not  otherwise  afibrd  it,  creating  a  taste  for  the  highest 
type  of  liturgical  music,  and  the  cotta  and  cassock  clothe  rich  and  poor 
alike  before  men,  in  the  white  and  black  garb  of  purity  and  humilitj-. 

At  present  the  movement  is  retarded  by  the  scarcity  of  competent 
choir  masters,  which  term  comprehends  a  man  of  moral  character 
with  a  proper  appreciation  of  a  dignified  and  reverent  choral  service,  and 
ability  as  a  vocal  trainer  and  director,  with  tact  and  a  decided  faculty  of 
getting  along  with  boys.     Once  introduced,  if  at  all  well  managed,  a 

2:4 


vested  choir  permanently  supplants  every  other  form  cf  rendering  the 
canticles  and  anthems  of  the  service,  and  a  return  to  a  quartette  or  mixed 
choir  is  almost  never  known.  Tvventj^-four  is  about  the  smallest  number 
of  singers  desirable  in  a  vested  choir,  unless  composed  of  picked  solo  voices, 
and  the  average  number  in  the  American  choirs  is  about  thirty-five.  There 
are  a  few  having  fiftj'-  or  sixty  singers,  the  largest  in  this  country  and 
probably  in  the  world,  being  in  Grace  Episcopal  church,  Chicago,  which 
numbers  seventy-five  active  members,  fifty  boys  and  twenty-five  men, 
In  two  respects  are  the  choirs  in  the  American  churches  deviating 
from  the  cathedral  and  parish  traditions  of  England,  viz. :  in  the  strict 
gradation  of  the  singers  as  to  size  and  the  ' '  keeping  step  ' '  to  the  cadence 
of  the  hymn  in  the  processionals  and  recessionals,  in  slow  and  stately 
marching  time,  rather  than  the  disorderly  and  ragged  way  of  walking  in, 
regardless  of  size  —  an  improvement  in  churchly  effect  which  first  originated 
in  the  west;  and  in  the  use  of  oratorio  choruses  and  masses  as  anthems, 
and  the  most  advanced  services  and  (canticle  sittings,)  modern  com- 
posers. Such  as  Barnby,  Tours,  Calkin,  Garrett,  Horselej^,  Elvey, 
Martin,  Hopkins,  Gladstone,  Trimnell,  Haynes,  King  Hall,  Stainer, 
Wesley,  Loyd,  Goss,  Macfarren,  Dykes,  Prout,  Ouselej',  Sullivan, 
Gadsb)^  Smart,  Hiles,  Field,  Monk,  Williams,  Mann,  Lloyd,  Parry, 
Selby,  Stanford,  Steggall,  Tuckerman,  etc. 

Henry  Buell  Roney. 

This  well  known  organist  and  choir  master  was  born  at  Bellefontaine, 
O.,  and  was  at  first  an  entirely  self-taught  musician.  He  received  his 
introduction  into  a  higher  class  of  music  from  Mr.  W.  S.  B.  Mathews, 
at  a  normal  institute  in  the  summer  of  1879.  After  this  he  studied  with 
Mr.  Mathews,  Arthur  J.  Creswold,  Eugene  Thaj^er,  B.  J.  Lang  and 
others,  and  settled  in  East  Saginaw,  Mich.,  in  1873,  where  for  about  fifteen 
3-ears  he  held  a  leading  position  as  concert  organist,  pianist  and  teacher. 
About  1880  he  took  charge  of  a  vested  choir  at  East  Saginaw,  in  which 
his  success  was  so  conspicuous  that  it  led  to  his  being  called  to  Grace 
church  in  Chicago  in  1888,  where  he  gained  the  good  will  of  all  con- 
cerned to  such  effect  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  year  of  his 
incumbency  his  saiary  was  increased  about  $500  annually  by  the  voluntary 
and  unsolicited  action  of  the  music  committee.  Mr.  Roney  has  written 
se\-eral  processional  hynms  for  his  choir  and  is  also  engaged  in  the  active 
work  of  teaching,  but  his  most  successful  efforts  have  been  made  as  choir 
master.  He  is  wonderfully  patient  and  skillful  in  the  conduct  of  his 
choir,  and  not  only  trains  the  members  in  music,  but  keeps  an  eye  on 
their  morals,  .so  that  to-day  the  choir  of  Grace  church  is  a  model  choir. 

276  . 


The  St.  Cecilia  Society  of  America. 


'HE  elaborate  ritual  of  the  Romish  church,  and  her  possession 
of  many  musical  artists  of  the  highest  class  within  her  com- 
munion, have  exposed  her  in  all  ages  to  peculiar  dangers.  In 
the  effort  to  render  the  services  imposing,  priests  have  tolerated 
these  artists  in  carrying  their  art  to  an  extreme,  rendering  the  sac- 
rifice of  the  mass  a  mere  concert  or  opportuiiity  for  displa3\ 
The  lightest  arias  of  Rossini  and  other  Italian  opera  composers  have 
been  set  to  most  sacred  words,  and  introduced  with  all  their  the- 
atrical associations  still  fresh  about  them.  Composers  have  written 
masses  in  which  they  have  given  loose  rein  to  their  lightest  and  most 
pleasing  fancies,  or,  like  the  Netherlandish  masters  of  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries,  have  piled  Pelion  upon  Ossa  with  contrapuntal 
devices.  In  the  period  just  named  the  abuse  reached  such  a  point  that 
Pope  Pius  IV  appointed  a  cardinal  to  inspect  the  music  of  the  papal 
choir  and  report  with  regard  to  its  suitability.  He  reported  that  the 
singing  of  the  choir  resembled  a  ' '  mass  of  cats  wrangling  together  and 
snarling  more  than  it  did  the  reverent  worship  of  God."  The  force  of 
the  cardinal's  homely  and  unvarnished  description  will  be  better  under- 
stood when  it  is  remembered  that  composers  of  the  period  were  in  the 
habit  of  intermingling  the  voices  through  the  musical  device  called 
canonic  imitation  to  such  an  extent  that  not  one  single  word  of  the  text 
could  be  made  out  by  the  closest  observer  ;  and  this  not  through  any 
carelessness  of  the  singers,  but  simply  through  the  conflicting  utterances 
of  the  different  parts,  where  not  infrequently  there  were  eight  different 
parts,  singing  as  many  entireh-  different  words  at  the  same  moment.  It 
was  to  reform  abuses  of  this  kind  that  Palestrina  was  commissioned  to 
make  his  reform,  which  had  in  it  two  elements:  The  composition  of 
music  more  suited  to  the  sentiment  of  the  sacred  words  of  the  offices  of  the 
church,  and  a  modification  of  the  style  of  rendering  that  music,  in  the 
direction  of  making  it  reverent,  religious  and  devotional.  The  music 
composed  by  Palestrina  has  remained  a  monument  of  his  genius  no  less 
than  of  his  devotion,  but  the  development  of  the  art  of  nuisic  since  has 
educated  the  ears  of  the  worshipers  in  quite  other  directions  than  this  one 


of  reverence  and  simplicity.  It  is,  however,  a  mistake  to  suppose  that 
the  music  of  Palestrina  was  simple  in  the  sense  we  now  attach  to  the 
term.  It  was  simple,  as  compared  with  the  music  of  most  of  the  com- 
posers of  his  time,  but  differs  from  them  yet  farther  in  this  one  point, 
namely,  in  a  true  intuition  of  the  relation  of  music  to  feeling.  Pales- 
trina's  music  when  properly  interpreted  is  religious  in  character.  It  leads 
the  soul  to  devotion,  instead  of  carrying  it  away  in  secular  association. 
With  the  majority  of  church  choirs  the  music  of  Palestrina  is  so  much  a 
mere  tradition  that  not  one  of  them  could  sing  it  without  special  prepara- 
tion therefor,  and  it  has  therefore  been  allowed  to  fall  into  disuse,  along 
with  the  original  Ambrosian  song  of  the  church,  the  plain  song,  upon 
which  all  of  Palestrina' s  works  are  founded.  Hence  in  the  progress  of 
modern  secular  music,  and  especially  in  the  taste  for  the  spectacular  and 
the  sensational,  Roman  Catholic  music  has  been  nearly  as  far  perverted 
from  the  true  plane  of  church  music  as  that  of  any  other  sect  or  denomi- 
nation. It  was  to  make  a  stand  for  reform  in  this  respect,  that  a  great 
organizer  was  raised  up  in  the  person  of  the  late  Dr.  Francis  Witt,  who  in 
1868  founded  the  Society  of  St.  Caecilia,  designed  to  promote  the  revival  of 
the  music  of  Palestrina  and  other  ancient  composers  of  similar  purity  and 
nobility,  to  promote  congregational  singing  in  the  vernacular,  so  far  as 
allowed  by  ecclesiastical  prescription,  and  to  indicate  to  modem  music  the 
direction  it  should  be  reformed  in  order  to  bring  its  ample  wealth  of  musical 
means  to  the  acceptable  ministration  of  the  worship  of  the  Most  High.  Dr. 
Witt  traveled,  lectured  and  organized  branch  societies.  He  published  a 
journal  devoted  to  the  promulgation  of  his  ideas,  and  added  to  it  musical 
supplements  of  ancient  pieces  available  for  modem  use.  Great  festivals 
were  organized  in  different  parts  of  Europe,  in  which  many  choirs  of 
churches  in  the  vicinity  took  part. 

The  movement  spread  to  America  in  1876,  when  through  the  instru- 
mentality of  the  late  Dr.  Salzmann  and  the  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  Heiss,  of 
Milwaukee,  Sir  John  Smgenberger,  a  pupil  and  trusted  assistant  of  Dr. 
Witt,  was  induced  to  come  to  America  and  take  charge  of  the  music  in  the 
Catholic  normal  school  at  St.  Francis,  Wis.  Here  he  organized  the  society 
May  7,  1873.  The  objects  of  the  society,  broadly  stated,  are  to  restore 
simplicity  to  the  musical  services  of  the  church,  to  prefer  the  Gregorian 
chant,  wherever  possible,  to  cultivate  congregational  singing  in  the  ver- 
nacular as  far  as  allowed  b}^  ecclesiastical  authority  and,  by  systematic 
instruction  in  the  schools  to  train  children  to  sing  properly  in  the  service 
of  God  and  the  church.  Six  weeks  after  the  organization  of  the  society 
the  first  sacred  concert  was  given  in  the  chapel  of  the  seminary,  and  since 

278 


I 


that  time  il  has  grown  rapidlj^  until  now  it  has  more  than  5,000  members, 
all  of  whom  take  an  active  interest  in  church  music. 

The  want  of  a  medium  for  communication  and  instruction  was  soon 
felt,  and  in  1874  Sir  John  Singenberger,  president  of  the  society,  began  to 
published  the  Cecilia,  with  which  were  issued  supplements  of  good  church 
music  by  ancient  and  modern  masters.  The  first  general  meeting  of  the 
society  was  held  in  the  hall  of  St.  Gall  congregation,  Milwaukee,  June 
14,  1874,  when  two  hundred  members  were  present,  and  an  excellent 
sacred  concert  was  given.  At  the  second  general  meeting,  held  at  Day- 
ton, O.,  in  August,  1875,  several  choirs  assisted,  and  under  the  able  lead- 
ership of  Singenberger,  that  same  Missa  Papcz  Marcclli  was  sung,  by 
which  Palestrina  won  his  victory.  That  year  the  most  Rev.  Henni 
appealed  to  Rome  for  a  special  cardinal  protector  and  papal  approbation. 
In  1876,  both  petitions  were  granted,  placing  the  society  in  a  proper 
light  before  the  community,  and  encouraging  new  efforts  to  promote 
reform  in  the  music  of  the  church.  Annual  conventions  have  been  held 
at  different  places,  and  special  meetings  for  the  purpose  of  instruction. 
In  1882,  the  president  of  the  societj''.  Sir  John  Singenberger,  was 
knighted  by  Pope  L,eo  XIII,  who  conferred  upon  him  the  order  of  St. 
Gregory  the  Great.  The  officers  are  Sir  John  B.  Singenberger,  president; 
E.  Andries,  vice-president;  F.  Katzer,  treasurer;  F.  W.  Pope,  assistant 
treasurer;  H.  Karis,  recording  secretary;  J.  Enzelberger,  corresponding 
secretary;  all  students  of  the  theological  seminary.  The  movement  thus 
inaugurated  is  full  of  promise  of  a  better  condition  of  musical  taste  and 
practice  in  the  vast  communion  of  the  church  in  America. 

Chevalier  John  B.  Singenberger, 

Knight  of  the  order  of  St.  Gregory  the  Great,  president  and  founder 
of  the  American  St.  Cecilian  Societj^,  professor  of  music  at  the 
Catholic  Normal  School,  St.  Francis,  Wis.,  editor  of  the  Cecilia,  a 
monthly  journal,  was  born  May  25,  1848,  at  Kirchberg,  Switzer- 
land. He  studied  at  the  Jesuit  college  of  Feldkirch,  Austria,  where 
he  received  piano,  organ,  violin  and  composition  instructions  from  W. 
Brien,  of  the  Munich  Conser%-atory ;  from  Carl  Greith  he  received  vocal 
training.  After  graduating  at  the  Insbruck  university  in  1870,  he  spent 
much  time  in  Munich,  where  he  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  the  greatest 
masters  of  the  day,  among  them,  Liszt,  Rheinberger,  Koenan  and  Kaim. 
In  1871  he  was  appointed  directorof  the  seminar}' choir  of  Chur.  In  1872 
he  studied  organ  and  counterpoint  under  Hanisch,  Haberland,  Holler 
and  became  a  favorite  pupil  of  Dr.  F.  Witt.  Sir  Lingenberger  devoted 
his  energies  to  the  Gregorian  music,  and,  at  present,  is  not  only  one  of  the 


most  prominent,  but  also  one  of  the  most  capable  representatives  of  that 
method.  In  1873  he  came  to  this  country  and  organized  the  American 
Ceciliau  Societj*.  His  compositions  include:  Fourteen  masses,  six  com- 
plete vespers,  twenty  hymns  for  benediction,  sixteen  motetts,  five  instruc- 
tion books,  a  short  Instructions  in  the  Art  of  Singi^tg  Plain  Chaiit,  a  long 
book  for  parochial  schools,  a  theoretical  and  practical  organ  method, 
one  pedal  school,  an  organ  book,  one  Adoro  Te  organ  book.  Sir 
Singenberger  has  filled  numerous  engagements  and  taught  classes  in 
various  institutions  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin.  V>y  extraordinary  applica- 
tion he  has  entirely  mastered  the  old  school,  and  in  that  spirit  writes  all 
his  compositions.  B3-  a  rare  combination  of  talents  he  has,  in  a  compar- 
atively short  time,  achieved  an  immense  success.  His  energy,  activity 
and  executive  ability'  ha\e  brought  the  American  St.  Cecilian  Society  to 
its  present  influential  position,  and  it  is  but  just  to  say  that  he  has  been 
ably  assisted  by  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Jung,  the  first  vice-president  of  the  society. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Jung. 

Rev.  J.  B.  Jung,  first  vice-president  American  St.  Cecilian  Society, 
was  born  Nov.  16,  18S4,  at  Zu  Kenried,  Ct.  St.  Gall,  Switzerland. 
He  received  his  training  in  piano,  theorj^  and  singing  from  Carl  Greith 
and  P.  Stehle.  He  directed  seminary  choir  in  Chur,  Ct.  Granbuendten, 
Switzerland,  '68  to  '70;  first  came  to  America  Aug.  12,  1870,  and  was 
appointed  rector  of  St.  Michael's,  Findlay,  O.,  and  taught  his  choir  per- 
sonally. Since  1878  he  has  been  pastor  of  St.  John's,  at  Defiance,  O., 
where  he  also  instructs  the  choir.  Both  these  choirs  met  with  success  at 
several  conventions  of  the  American  St.  Cecilian  Society.  As  musical 
journalist  (German)  he  has  won  distinction  by  such  articles  as  The 
Ecclesiastical  Year,  Directing  Choirs,  Singing  in  Schools,  Liturgical  Sing- 
ing Prayers.  His  compositions  for  church  music  appeared  in  the  supple- 
ments of  the  Ccccilia.  His  greatest  opus.  The  Roman  I'cspcralc,  for 
Catholic  choirs  (Pustet,  Ed.),  will  ser\'e  as  a  lasting  reminder  of  a  faithful 
career  in  the  cause  of  ' '  reformation  of  Catholic  church  music. " ' 


2S3 


VIOLINISTS  IN  AMERICA. 

^HE  influence  of  environment  is  nowhere  in  the  present  historj- 
shown  more  clearly  than  in  that  part  relating  to  the  queen  of 
musical  instruments,  the  violin,  which  Berlioz  calls  the  "woman's 
voice  of  the  orchestra."  Although  many  musically  inclined  Amer- 
't^  ican  youths  have  devoted  more  or  less  attention  to  it  for  two  genera- 
tions at  least,  very  little  of  the  higher  violin  playing  has  come  of  it. 
Nor  are  the  reasons  of  this  seeming  lack  of  capacity  far  to  seek.  In  the 
first  place,  proper  elementary  instruction  has  nearly  alwaj's  been  wanting, 
especially  in  the  period  when  the  growing  boy  must  form  his  life-long 
habits  of  bowing  and  exactness  of  intonation.  Nor  is  there  anything  very 
inviting  in  the  career  of  an  orchestral  violinist  to  tempt  a  smart  boy  to 
adopt  it  as  a  profession,  still  less  to  invest  in  it  the  capital  of  time,  appli- 
cation and  money  necessary  for  yielding  considerable  returns.  In  the 
absence  of  orchestras  there  was  none  of  that  unconscious  education  of  ear, 
and  incitement  of  ambition,  always  open  to  a  German  or  other  European 
boy.  In  certain  respects  the  condition  of  things  is  changing  here  for  the 
better,  and  in  some  of  the  largest  conservatories  there  are  many  students 
of  the  violin,  but,  for  the  commercial  reasons  already  suggested,  few  of 
them  have  higher  views  than  the  career  of  amateurs,  and  those  whose 
ideas  go  beyond  this  are  often  diverted  from  their  purpose  when  they 
have  inviting  openings  for  commercial  activity.  Still,  many  things  indi- 
cate that  a  better  time  is  approaching  in  this  country  for  the  lovers  of  this 
beautiful  instrument.  Americans  have  rivaled  the  best  work  of  the  prin- 
cipal foreign  violin  makers,  and  the  manufacture  of  violins  selling  at  $25 
and  over  has  now  reached  considerable  proportions,  measured  commer- 
cially in  volume  of  product.  This  indicates  that  somebody  takes  an  inter- 
est in  the  violin.  Moreover,  the  ideals  of  the  young  players  are  in  pro- 
cess of  education.  Orchestras  now  play  almost  everywhere,  at  least  occa- 
sionally, and  the  iiner  kinds  of  music  are  represented  in  fair  proportion 
in  the  programmes  of  traveling  companies.  Hence  the  young  violinist 
has  opportunity  to  hear  music  and  to  have  his  taste  stimulated,  if  not 
formed,  by  at  least  occasional  hearing  of  attractive  virtuosi.     Moreover, 


the  greater  frequency  of  combinations  for  playing  chamber  music  is  very 
noticeable,  both  as  it  regards  professional  and  amateur  organizations.  In 
almost  every  town  or  small  city  now  there  is  a  combination  of  local  musi- 
cians for  carrying  on  concerts  of  this  class  of  music. 

After  all,  however,  the  playing  of  the  traveling  violinists  must  be 
regarded  as  the  main  stimulus  of  aspiring  young  fiddlers,  for  which  rea- 
son a  brief  sketch  of  a  few  of  the  most  notable  is  here  appended.  Perhaps 
the  most  popular  violinist  W'ho  ever  played  in  America  was  the  celebrated 
Norwegian,  Ole  Bull,  who  is  almost  as  well  known  here  as  if  he  had  been 
native  to  the  soil. 

Ole  Bull. 

On  the  5th  of  Februarj^,  18 10,  there  was  born  in  the  little  Norwegian 
town  of  Bergen  one  of  the  world's  greatest  violinists  —  Ole  Bull.  Like 
many  another  famous  musician,  this  Scandinavian  heir  to  Paganini's  skill 
displaj-ed  singular  precocity  in  childhood.  His  love  for  music  became 
strongly  pronounced  when  he  was  but  four  j-ears  old.  He  lost  no  oppor- 
tunitj'  of  hearing  musical  performances,  and  whenever  his  uncle,  "Jeus," 
assisted  by  three  other  amateurs,  plaj-ed  over  their  favorite  quartettes,  he 
would  conceal  himself  under  the  parlor  sofa  listening  with  keen  delight. 
His  friends  and  relatives  were  inclined  to  encourage  the  3-outhful  genius, 
and  he  was  soon  supplied  with  a  violin  and  such  tutoring  as  Bergen  could 
afford.  So  well  did  the  little  Ole  apply  himself  that  at  the  age  of  nine  he 
was  able  to  take  a  seat  in  the  theatre  orchestra  where  his  father  was  also 
engaged.  Fortunately,  the  boy's  musical  skill  was  not  gained  at  the 
expense  of  health.  He  grew^  up  tall,  healthy  and  vigorous,  with  a  mag- 
nificent physique  and  great  strength  of  muscle.  It  was  in  the  years  of 
his  youth  that  he  acquired  that  love  of  nature  which  afterward  inspired 
some  of  his  ablest  productions.  With  his  violin  for  companion,  he  would 
haunt  the  gloomy  forests  around  Bergen,  conjuring  up  melodies  with  which 
to  express  in  tone  the  "weird  beauties  which  he  saw  about  him.  He  used 
to  say  of  his  music,  "  The  wind,  the  waterfalls  and  all  nature  furnish  my 
themes."  On  reaching  his  majorit}-  he  was  enabled  to  realize  his  long- 
cherished  desire  to  visit  Paris.  For  some  months  he  resided  in  the  great 
metropolis,  living  in  poverty  and  the  miseries  of  disappointment  and 
despair.  At  last,  when  on  the  point  of  giving  up  the  fight  against  such 
unequal  odds,  he  met  with  a  piece  of  fortune  wliich  put  him  on  his  feet 
again  and  inspired  him  with  renewed  hope.  One  morning  he  happened 
to  strike  up  a  chance  acquaintance  with  a  stranger  whom  he  met  in  in  a 
cafe,  and  by  whom  he  was  advised  to  try  his  luck  at  "  Rouget  Noir." 
Acting  upon  the  stranger's  advice,   the  two  men  found  a  table  where 

2S4 


Ole  Bull. 


gaming  was  going  on.  Coached  by  his  new-found  friend,  the  despondent 
violinist  plaj-ed  on  the  red.  Luck  favored  him,  and  he  won.  Again  he 
played,  and  with  success,  and  before  he  left  the  house  he  owned  eight 
hundred  francs  in  gold.  Afterward  he  learned  that  his  chance  friend  was 
the  famous  detective  Vidocq.  With  a  heavy  purse  and  a  light  heart.  Bull 
again  entered  upon  the  struggle  for  fame  and  fortune.  He  journeyed  to 
Milan,  where,  after  six  months'  hard  study  he  found  himself  a  finished 
artist,  and  felt  that  he  could  conscientiously  put  himself  before  the  public 
as  such.  He  commenced  a  series  of  concerts,  making  a  tour  through 
Italy,  Spain,  Hungary,  Russia  and  Germany.  He  scored  a  phenomenal 
success  everj'where.  His  mastery  of  technical  difficulties,  as  well  as  his 
delicate  and  exquisite  expression,  made  the  public  his  friends  from  the  start. 
Only  ten  years  previous,  Paganini  had  given  a  similar  series  of  concert 
tours,  and  naturally  enough  the  critics  were  inclined  to  make  comparisons 
—  comparisons  which,  however,  were  complimentary  to  both  the  great 
artists.  Shortly  afterward  Bull  decided  to  visit  the  new  world.  In  1843 
he  sailed  for  Boston.  In  New  York  he  gave  a  number  of  highly  success- 
ful concerts,  and  then  started  on  a  concert  tour  through  the  chief  cities.  His 
reception  was  everywhere  warm  and  appreciative.  He  was  at  once  recog- 
nized as  the  greatest  violinist  that  had  been  heard  in  this  country'.  Leav- 
ing America  enthusiastic  over  his  performances.  Bull  went  to  Spain,  to 
Cuba,  and  finally  back  to  Norway,  where  he  spent  some  years.  In  1876 
he  again  came  to  America.  His  return  was  the  occasion  of  a  genuine 
ovation.  His  first  concert  was  given  in  the  Music  hall  in  Boston.  When 
he  stepped  out  upon  the  stage,  violin  in  hand,  the  large  audience  rose  to 
its  feet  amid  storms  of  "  Bravo's,"  and  cheers.  In  1880  Bull  returned  to 
his  well  loved  native  town,  and  there,  surrounded  b}^  friends  and  relatives 
he  passed  away.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  Ole  Bull  has  rarely  been 
equaled  as  a  popular  violinist.  As  a  plaj^er  of  Norse  melodies,  and  the 
melancholy  folk-songs  of  his  native  country  he  was  unsurpassable. 
After  the  composition  of  the  great  masters  he  exhibited  a  preference  for 
the  works  of  Paganini  and  Spohr,  whose  music  was  frequently  found  on 
his  programmes.  Among  his  own  difficult  but  beautiful  works,  the  best 
known  are  Polaiia  Gucrrcra,  concerto  in  A  major,  concerto  in  E  minor, 
Grass  aus  des  Feme,  and  La  Verbenadc  San  Juan. 

Another  pla^-er,  almost  equally  popular  with  the  masses,  was  Edouard 
Remenyi,  the  Hungarian,  who  gave  his  sensational  recitals  in  all 
the  leading  cities,  and  in  many  of  the  smaller  ones.  Remenyi  is  an 
excellent  advertiser  of  his  instrument.  He  gets  out  his  violin  and  plays 
a  few  tunes  to  the  porter  of  the  sleeping  car;  he  is  always  ready  to  talk 
with  the  reporter,  and  his  reminiscences  yield  visible  results  in  the  form 


J^' 


<^ 


^,^£>-^=^- 


2>S7 


of  interviews  by  the  column,  while  his  personality  is  eminently  a  taking 
one.  Then  he  carries  an  Aniati  violin  of  singularly  sweet  tone,  yet  does 
not  disdain  to  play  at  times  upon  a  violin  made  in  America,  if,  as  St  Paul 
says,  ' '  thereby  he  can  gain  some. ' '  The  value  of  the  tours  of  an  artist 
of  this  class  is  mainly  in  his  advertising  the  instrument,  and  in  persuad- 
ing the  hearers  that  it  is  the  most  wonderful  apparatus  of  music  which 
one  could  wish  to  play. 

Of  a  very  different  character  was  the  great  German  player,  Wilhemj, 
who  made  a  tour  of  the  country  in  1875,  playing  everywhere  with  the 
greatest  appreciation.  Wilhemj  had  a  technique  larger  than  that  of  any 
other  violinist  who  ever  played  in  America,  except  Weniawski,  and  he 
had  also  the  advantage  of  a  wonderful  instrument,  a  genuine  Stradivarius, 
the  tone  of  which  was  singularly  broad,  musical  and  noble.  Especially 
was  this  the  case  with  the  G  string,  which  Wilhelmj  was  in  the  habit  of 
illustrating  by  means  of  Bach's  mystical  air  for  this  string.  With  this  he 
never  failed  to  bring  down  the  house,  just  as  reliably  as  Thomas  did  for 
many  years  with  the  Handel  Largo,  for  his  orchestra.  The  visit  of 
Wilhelmj  was  short,  and  is  not  likel}^  to  be  repeated,  for  he  is  a  wealthy 
man,  and  a  large  wine  merchant,  upon  whom  the  concert  stage  has  small 
hold.  Another  celebrated  master  who  made  several  tours  of  the  country, 
was  the  French  artist  Vieuxtemps,  a  very  neat  player,  dealing  mostly 
with  his  own  pleasing  pieces.     He  was  here  several  times. 

It  is  now  quite  a  number  of  j^ears  since  we  have  begun  to  possess 
masters  of  the  violin  resident  in  America  not  inferior  to  most  of  those  of 
the  old  world.  One  of  the  most  important  of  these  is  Julius  Eichberg,  of 
the  Boston  Conservatory,  whose  story  is  told  elsewhere  in  connection  with 
this  school,  which  has  been  fortunate  in  forming  many  good  plaj-ers. 
Another  master  of  very  high  rank  is  Professor  Jacobsohn,  of  the  Chicago 
Musical  College,  whose  record  as  artist  is  scarcely  less  important  than 
that  as  teacher. 

S.  E.  Jacobsohn. 

This  gentleman,  who  has  in  America  a  national  reputation,  is  one  of 
the  chiefs  of  Dr.  Ziegfeld's  excellent  staff.  He  was  born  in  Milan,  Italy, 
in  1839.  Music  came  to  him  as  a  spontaneous  gift,  and  in  his  earliest 
j'outh,  to  elicit  melody  from  the  violin  seemed  as  natural  as  to  draw  breath 
by  the  exercise  of  the  respirator}'  organs.  His  instinct  led  him  to  the 
practiceof  whatever  was  artisticallj'  the  highest  and  best  in  such  music  as 
he  had  access  to.  His  expert  and  original  rendering  of  dance  music, 
while   he  was  still  a  lad,  attracted  the  attention  of  Pastel,  the  famous 

2SS 


EDWARD   REMENYI. 


2S9 


OVIDE   MDSIN. 


director,  who,  with  his  experience  and  acute  discrimination,  at  once 
detected  the  real  fire  of  true  genius  in  the  boy's  uncultivated  music. 
Through  the  aid  of  Pastel,  Jacobsohn  was  sent  to  Riga,  where  he  studied 
under  Concertmeister  Weller.  The  new  life  here  opened  up  to  him  ex- 
cited ever}'  fiber  of  his  artistic  being  to  a  new  and  invigorated  impulse, 
and  he  thus  mastered  the  difficulties  of  a  higher  art-life,  and  qualified 
himself  by  his  zeal  and  accomplishments  for  a  place  in  the  Leipzig  Con- 
serx^ator}-.  So  well  did  he  improve  his  opportunities,  that  in  i860  he  was 
selected,  out  of  numerous  applicants,  as  concertmeister  at  Bremen,  and  here 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  in  which  he  acquired  a  wide  public 
reputation.  In  1872  he  came  to  America  as  concertmaster  of  Theodore 
Thomas'  orchestra,  and  for  six  years  filled  this  position,  all  the  while 
gaining  in  the  esteem  of  the  higher  musical  circles.  In  1876  he  organized 
a  quartette,  which  soon  became  famous  ;  but  in  the  capacity  of  purveyor  to 
the  public  he  was  not  long  allowed  to  remain.  The  Cincinnati  College  of 
Music  first  secured  his  services  as  an  instructor,  but  his  worth  and  import- 
ance had  attracted  the  attention  of  the  keen  and  discriminating  Director  of 
the  Chicago  Musical  College,  and  Mr.  Jacobsohn  soon  found  a  permanent 
place  of  usefulness  as  director  of  the  violin  department  of  this  institu- 
tion, where  he  has  fully  justified  all  the  expectations  that  Dr.  Ziegfeld 
entertained  of  his  advantage  to  that  institution.  Of  his  work  in  Chicago, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  it  was  owing  to  his  direction  and  effort 
that  we  have  such  accomplished  pupils  of  the  violin  as  Michael  Banner, 
Max  Bendix,  Theodore  Binder,  Henr}-  Burke,  Charles  Henzen,  Nicholas 
Longworth  and  others.  In  the  wide  world  of  art  Prof.  Jacobsohn  occu- 
pies a  high  place.  In  ensemble  and  chamber  music,  he  has,  perhaps,  few 
rivals  in  America,  and  he  is  active  and  conscientious  in  his  endeavor  to 
transmit  to  his  pupils  all  that  is  highest  and  best  in  the  exemplification  of 
the  possibilities  of  the  instrument  to  which  he  is  devoted. 

William  Lewis. 

Mr.  William  Lewis  of  Chicago  was  a  concert  player  in  the  days  when 
the  standard  was  lower  than  now,  and  his  story  is  the  interesting  one  of 
the  self-made  American  boy,  who  by  his  own  exertions  makes  himself 
master  of  one  of  the  most  difficult  arts  in  practical  music,  that  of  the 
of  the  higher  play  of  the  violin  — since  for  its  proper  performance  it  needs 
mature  and  refined  perceptions  of  harmonic  relations,  to  the  farthest 
extent  that  modern  composers  go,  and  a  taste  for  and  understanding  of 
the  art  of  singing  in  its  highest  application,  namely  to  melodies  of  the 
most  refined  and  poetic  kind.  Mr.  Lewis  was  born  in  Devonshire,  Eng- 
land, in  1837,  but  his  parents  removed  to  Ohio,  near  Cleveland,  when  he 

290 


was  still  a  boy,  but  he  had  become  a  verj'  good  violinist  before  leaving  Eng- 
land. They  being  farmers,  William  had  to  plow  corn,  and  pursue  other  rural 
occupations  not  to  his  liking,  for  he  would  be  a  violinist.  It  happened 
one  summer  that  the  ' '  Black  Swan  ' '  was  to  sing  in  Cleveland  upon  a 
certain  evening;  this  concert  was  the  goal  of  the  aspiring  boy's  hope.  He 
thought  of  it  by  day,  and  dreamed  of  it  by  night.  At  length  the  day 
came  near,  and  one  forenoon  the  desperate  lad  hitched  the  team  in  a  fence 
corner,  and  went  across  lots  to  a  depot  where  he  got  upon  a  freight  train  to 
go  to  Cleveland.  He  succeeded  in  working  his  way,  and  arrived  in  Cleve- 
land without  friends  or  monej'.  Dressed  in  his  farm  clothes  he  went  to 
the  hotel  where  Colonel  Wood,  the  manager  of  the  colored  singer,  was 
stopping,  and  introduced  himself  and  stated  his  wish.  Wood  sent  out  for 
a  violin  and  made  him  play  for  him  then  and  there.  The  boj-'s  talent 
was  so  evident  that  he  bought  him  a  suit  of  clothes,  and  had  him  play  a 
solo  that  night  and  the  next.  He  then  sent  him  home  with  $20  in 
money.  The  sight  of  money  pacified  the  irate  father,  and  from  that  time 
the  boj^  was  free  to  follow  his  inclination.  It  would  take  too  long  to 
recount  his  after-career,  as  orchestral  player  in  Chicago,  solo  violinist  in 
various  concert  companies,  dealer  in  musical  instruments,  and  the  like, 
but  it  would  indeed  be  shabby  to  lose  sight  of  two  points  in  his  record, 
which  deser\-e  to  distinguish  him  honorably  on  the  rolls  of  fame.  The 
first  is  his  activity  as  director  of  chamber  concerts  in  Chicago,  where,  in 
connection  with  various  musicians,  but  especiallj^  with  Carl  Wolfsohn, 
Mr.  Liebling  and  Miss  Agnes  IngersoU,  he  has  maintained  some  of  the 
most  important  series  of  chamber  concerts  given  in  the  city.  His  other 
great  point  is  his  record  as  teacher.  Among  the  many  talented  pupils  he 
has  had  who  are  now  occupying  important  positions,  no  one  reflects 
higher  honor  upon  him  than  that  most  pleasing  and  accomplished  player. 
Miss  Maud  Powell,  of  w^hom  more  will  presently  be  said. 

But  before  speaking  of  her  there  is  another  lady  pla3^er,  older  than 
she,  who  must  first  be  mentioned,  especially  as  she  had  much  to  do  with 
awakening  a  taste  for  violin  playing  throughout  the  country,  namelj-, 
Mme.  Camilla  Urso,  now  living  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  She  made  her  first 
appearance  in  this  country'  in  Boston,  as  a  little,  dark,  short-dressed  girl 
of  twelve,  at  the  concerts  of  the  Germania  Society  and  the  Musical  Fund 
in  the  season  of  1853-54.  Since  then  she  has  toured  the  country 
repeatedly  as  solo  artist,  and  has  shown  b\^  her  reposeful  and  absorbed 
stj'le  of  playing  the  comfort  a  woman  may  take  in  this  most  expressive 
instrument. 

Probably  the  best  American  violinist  at  present  is  Miss  Maud  Powell, 
an  Illinois  girl,  born  at  Aurora,  in  1867,  daughter  of  the  principal  of 


291 


public  schools,  and  niece  of  the  celebrated  explorer  of  the  Yellowstone 
region.  She  began  lessons  with  Mr.  William  Lewis  when  still  quite 
3'oung,  for  the  violin  has  alwaj'S  been  her  passion.  For  six  or  seven 
years  she  studied  with  him,  then  he  took  her  abroad  in  1881,  where  she 
remained  for  study,  one  year  with  Schradick  in  Leipzig,  afterward  with 
Danckler  at  Paris,  and  finally  with  Joachim  at  Berlin.  She  returned  to 
America  and  made  her  debut  with  the  Thomas  orchestra,  in  the  Mendels- 
sohn E  Minor  Concerto,  in  Chicago,  June,  1886.  Her  success  was 
immediate,  and  her  concert  business  has  been  large  ever  since.  Her 
playing  is  characterized  by  repose,  a  full  tone,  magnificent  technique, 
refined  legato  bowing,  and,  in  fact,  all  the  good  qualities  of  a  real  artist. 
Withal,  she  is  a  sincere  disciple  and  votary  of  her  art,  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  anticipate  for  her  a  most  distinguished  career. 

OviDE  MusiN. 

Another  very  popular  violinist  in  America  at  present,  1889,  is  the 
Belgian,  Ovide  Musin.  He  was  born  at  the  ancient  city  of  Liege,  in 
1857,  and  was  educated  at  the  conservatory  of  Brussels,  under  Leonard. 
He  made  his  debut  as  artist  about  ten  years  ago,  and  since  1884  has  been 
much  in  America.  His  plajnng  is  masterly,  especiall}^  in  repose  and 
assurance,  his  technique  being  so  great  as  to  permit  him  to  perform  all 
sorts  of  difficulties  without  anxiet3^  He  also  excels  in  sensational  and 
pleasing  playing,  for  which  reason  he  is  perhaps  the  best  popular  violin- 
ist we  have  had  since  the  death  of  Ole  Bull.  He  is  also  a  composer  of 
many  attractive  pieces. 

TiMOTHIE    AdAMOWSKI. 

This  artistic  violinist  of  the  Boston  orchestra  is  widely  known  from 
his  beautiful  solo  playing  in  various  concert  organizations,  in  which  he 
has  been  a  star.  His  technique  is  fluent  and  masterly,  and  his  tone 
highlj'  musical.  His  repertoire  is  ver}'  large.  Biographical  particulars 
concerning  him  have  not  been  received. 


292 


T.  Adamowskt. 


293 


VIRTUOSI  FOR  OTHER  INSTRUMENTS. 

^l^^fo,  C ARCELY  less  important  than  the  leading  players  already  men- 
('  'Kft      tioned  are  those  who  have  distinguished  themselves  upon  the 
IKf'^'^    other  principal  instruments  of  the  orchestra.     It  has  been  their 
'    mission  to  make  known  to  audiences  largelj-  unfamiliar  with  them, 
the  powers  and  resources  of  the  less  common  instruments,  or  those 
not  usually  played  in  an  artistic  manner.     One  of  the  oldest  and 
best  known  of  this  class  is  Mr.  Thomas  Ryan,  so  long  leader  of  the  cele- 
brated Mendellsohn  Quintette  Club,  of  Boston, 

Mr.  Thomas  Ryan. 
To  write  the  life  of  this  eminent  veteran  among  American  musicians  is 
to  write  the  history  of  the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club  of  Boston,  an 
organization  which  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  as  well  as  one  of  the 
oldest  musical  societies  in  this  country-.  Mr.  Ryan  was  one  of  its  found- 
ers, and  he  has  always  remained  at  his  post  as  one  of  its  conspicuous 
members.  Mr.  Thomas  Ryan  was  born  in  Ireland,  his  parents  being 
musical  people  of  some  attainments.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  came  to 
this  countr}^  and  pursued  the  musical  studies  which  had  already  begun  to 
enlist  his  eanaest  interest.  In  the  autumn  of  1849  the  Mendelssohn  Quin- 
tette Club  was  organized  by  Messrs.  Aiigust  Fries,  Francis  Riha,  Edward 
Lehmann,  Thomas  Ryan  and  Wulf  Fries,  Mr.  Ryan  being  at  that  time 
twenty-two  years  of  age.  The  first  concert  of  the  club  was  given  at  the 
piano  warerooms  of  Jonas  Chickering,  Mr.  Rj-an  plaj-ing  a  clarinet  con- 
certo by  F.  Berr,  and  also  the  viola  parts  in  quintettes  by  Mendelssohn 
and  Beethoven.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  married,  two  daughters 
blessing  the  union,  one  of  whom  is  married  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Sumner,  the 
Boston  organist,  the  j-ounger  daughter  being  a  promising  young  vocalist, 
a  pupil  of  Mme.  Marchesi.  To  Mr.  Ryan  is  due  the  excellence  and  the 
prominence  of  the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  for  he  is  one  of  the  few 
admirable  musicians  who  have  demonstrated  the  possession  of  business 
acumen.  'Naturally  the  personfie/  has  been  frequently  changed,  but  the 
artistic  standard  has  alwa3-s  been  kept  up  to  the  highest.  For  forty  j-ears 
Mr.  Ryan  has  been  the  leading  spirit  of  the  organization,  and  now  he  is 
the  only  one  of  the  members  who  was  at  the  foundation  of  the  society. 

294 


<:::III^^^^^^^^;>^^?<;5-*«>«'^w^2i^^*---' 


295 


It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  tliis  chib  has  done  as  much  for  the  popular- 
izing of  high-class  music  as  any  one  factor  in  the  development  of 
America's  musical  life. 

From  its  small  and  complete  organization,  it  has  been  able  to  visit 
the  smallest  of  towns,  as  well  as  the  largest  cities,  and  there  is  scarcely  a 
town  of  four  thousand  people  from  Maine  to  California  which  it  has  not 
repeatedly  visited.  The  club  has  been  three  times  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
has  concertized  as  far  north  as  British  Columbia,  and  south  as  San  Diego 
on  the  edge  of  Mexico,  and  made  a  lengthy  visit  to  the  Australian 
colonies  and  islands  in  the  south  Pacific  ocean;  also  stopped  at  the  Sand- 
wich islands  twice. 

Mr.  Rj-an  is  a  virtuoso  clarinet  player,  but  he  is  almost  equally  pro- 
ficient on  the  viola  and  several  other  instruments.  He  has  composed 
string  quartettes,  quintettes,  songs  and  numerous  other  works  which 
possess  a  high  degree  of  merit. 

Anton  Sbrignadello. 

Anton  Sbrignadello,  the  violinist  and  professor  of  music,  was  born 
in  Venice  in  1855,  ^^d.  is  a  member  of  a  family  noted  for  the  musical 
talent  its  scions  have  displayed.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  developed  at 
an  early  age  signs  of  more  than  ordinarj-  ability  and  love  for  the  art  of 
music,  and  his  earliest  instruction  was  received  at  the  hands  of  his  grand- 
father, Anton  Sbrignadello  (born  1802),  the  latter  being  famous  as  a 
musician,  particularly  as  a  violinist. 

When  he  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age  young  Sbrignadello's 
accomplishments  as  a  violinist  were  such  that  the  papers  of  his  native  city 
referred  to  him  as  "the  young  Paganini,"  and  the  brilliancy  of  his 
technique  was  marveled  at  by  all  who  heard  him.  Shortly  afterward  he 
was  sent  bj^  his  parents  to  Milan,  where  he  pursued  his  stud}^  of  the  violin 
under  the  tuition  of  Signer  Corbellini,  at  that  time  solo  violinist  of  L,a 
Scala  theatre.  Young  Sbrignadello  also  devoted  much  of  his  time  to 
the  study  of  harmonj^  the  piano  and  vocal  art,  under  such  eminent 
masters  as  Lamperti  and  Mazzacato.  His  general  education  was  by  no 
means  neglected,  and,  while  giving  most  of  his  time  to  music,  he  also 
found  time  to  study  languages,  and  he  became  proficient  in  several.  He 
finished  his  period  of  stud}-  at  Milan  when  he  w^as  nineteen  j-ears  of  age, 
and  then  a  concert  tour  was  arranged  for  him,  to  include  the  principal 
Italian  art  centres,  where  his  talent  miglit  find  thorough  appreciation. 
After  his  tour,  in  which  he  met  with  decided  success,  he  visited  Russia. 
He  was  made  the  recipient  of  a  flattering  offer  to  remain  in  that  country 
and  divide  his  time  between  concert  playing  and  teaching.     He  accepted 

296 


this  offer  upon  most  favorable  terr.is,  and  leniained  in  Russia  for  several 
j'ears.  From  Russia  he  came  to  America,  locating  first  at  New  York, 
where  he  was  engaged  by  the  conservatory  as  a  professor  of  violin. 
Thence  he  went  to  Brookh-n  and  founded  the  Brooklyn  College  of  Music, 
which  began  its  career  under  favorable  auspices  in  November,  1888,  and 
has  been  highlj-  successful  under  Signer  Sbrignadello's  capable  direction. 
He  has  written  a  number  of  meritorious  compositions  for  the  piano  and 
the  violin. 

James  Moxroe  Deems. 

Brigadier  General  James  Monroe  Deems  whose  name  is  associated 
with  music,  particularly  in  the  state  of  Marj'land.  was  born  in  the  city 
of  Baltimore  Jan.  9,  1818.  He  was  the  son  of  Captain  Jacob  Deems, 
a  popular  and  public-spirited  citizen  of  Baltimore,  who  commanded  a 
company  in  the  Fifty-third  regiment  of  Mar>'land  infantry  in  the  war 
of  1 8 12.  At  an  early  age  the  subject  of  this  sketch  showed  a  great  love 
for  music,  and  as  early  as  his  fifth  year  he  could  play  on  the  bugle,  which 
then  took  in  military  bands  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  cornet.  He 
had  an  opportunity  to  play  in  connection  with  the  band  attached  to 
his  father's  compan}-,  as  it  met  frequently  in  his  father's  house  for  practice. 
He  received  his  first  musical  instruction  from  Captain  William  Rountree, 
who  led  the  band  of  the  company  referred  to.  He  learned  the  clarinet 
and  the  French  horn,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  played  in  an  orchestra. 
He  subsequently  studied  the  piano,  organ  and  musical  composition.  In 
1839  General  Deems  went  to  Germany  to  continue  his  musical  studies. 
He  located  at  Dresden  and  studied  composition  with  J.  J.  F.  Dotzauer, 
then  the  first  'cellist  in  Europe.  At  that  time  Dresden  had  the  finest 
opera  company  and  orchestra  in  Europe,  and  while  pursuing  his  studies 
in  that  city  Mr.  Deems  had  opportunities  of  hearing  the  very  best  of 
music.  While  in  Dresden  he  was  implicated  in  an  affair  of  honor  in 
which  he  distinguished  himself  by  accepting  a  challenge  and  naming  as 
weapons  an  1  conditions,  "  rifles  at  ten  paces."  His  terms  were  declined, 
and  the  German  officer  who  had  been  rash  enough  to  challenge  him  was 
subsequently  degraded  for  cowardice.  On  his  return  to  his  nati\-e  country 
he  followed  the  profession  of  music  till  1849  in  Baltimore.  He  then 
received  the  offer  of  the  professorship  of  music  at  the  University  of 
Virginia.  He  occupied  this  post  till  1858,  when  he  took  his  family  to 
Europe.  When  he  returned  to  this  country  he  found  the  war  brewing, 
and  in  i85i  he  entered  a  regiment  of  cavalry-,  the  Twenty-first  Mar>-land, 
and  was  ai:)pointed  major.  He  did  good  service  in  the  war,  and  fought  at 
Charlestown,  Orange  Court  House,  Madison  Court  House,  Culpepper 
Court  House,  all  the  battles  incident  upon  Sheridan's  raid.  Cedar  Mountain, 

29S 


//^  •    CoM^^-^^uef 


■■99 


Second  Bull  Run,  Second  Fredericksburg,  Gett3^sburg  and  many  other 
battles.  For  his  gallantrj'  in  the  field  he  was  made  a  brigadier  general. 
Since  the  war  he  has  followed  his  profession  with  renewed  enthusiasm. 
General  Deems  has  written  a  class  book  of  vocal  music,  a  piano  method, 
a  cornet  method  and  an  organ  method.  He  has  composed  a  grand  opera, 
a  comic  opera  and  an  oratorio,  iVcbuc/iadiiezzar,  the  finale  to  which  is  a  triple 
fugue,  with  three  subjects.  He  has  written  much  for  piano  and  for 
voice,  besides  pieces  for  various  instruments.  At  the  present  time  he  is 
conietist  in  Franklin  Square  Baptist  church  at  Baltimore.  He  has  had  a 
useful  and  in  some  respects  a  remarkable  career. 

Heman  Allen,  A.  M. 

Heman  Allen,  A.  M.,  was  born  Aug.  ii,  1836,  in  St.  Albans,  Vt. 
His  grandfather,  Hon.  Heman  Allen,  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  was  a  promi- 
nent lawyer  of  that  place  and  member  of  congress  about  the  year  1840. 
Prof  George  Allen,  LL.  D.,  Mr.  Allen's  father,  moved  to  Newark,  Del., 
in  1837,  to  take  the  chair  of  Greek  and  Latin  in 'the  college  there.  In 
1840,  at  the  age  of  four  years,  Mr.  Heman  Allen  gave  his  first  lessons  in 
a  curious  waj',  by  correcting  the  incorrect  intonations  of  his  uncle,  who 
was  learning  the  violoncello  as  an  amusement.  He  began  to  take  lessons, 
in  his  seventh  year,  on  the  violin  and  piano,  of  his  father  and  mother, 
both  exquisite  performers  on  their  respective  instruments.  His  mother, 
a  Boston  lady,  was  a  grand-niece  of  Gov.  John  Hancock,  and  was  a 
prominent  singer  in  the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society. 

In  1845,  Prof.  George  Allen  was  elected  Professor  of  Latin  and  Greek 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  which  position  he  filled  until  his  death 
in  1876.  In  Philadelphia  Mr.  Heman  Allen  had  the  best  teachers,  Mr. 
Carl  Hupfeld  and  Mr.  Carl  Hohnstock.  In  i860,  having  previously 
graduated  with  the  highest  honors  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
he  went  to  Leipzig  to  complete  his  musical  education.  He  entered  the 
conser\'atory,  and,  at  the  same  time,  took  private  lessons  of  Ferdinand 
David,  on  the  violin,  Louis  Plaidy,  on  the  piano,  and  E.  F.  Richter,  in 
harmony.  He  returned  to  America  in  1862,  and  immediately  began  his 
long  career  as  violinist,  pianist  and  teacher  of  those  instruments.  At  this 
time  he  also  received  valuable  instruction  on  the  organ  from  Mr.  A.  G. 
Emerick,  the  eminent  Philadelphia  musician. 

In  1865  Mr.  Allen  married  Miss  Clara  Niles,  of  Dansville,  N.  Y. 
Dr.  Allen,  with  his  whole  family,  had  entered  the  Catholic  church  in 
1847,  and  Mrs.  Clara  Niles  Allen  followed  in  1868.  In  1867,  Mr.  Allen 
removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  resided  ever  since.  He  was  organist 
of  the  cathedral  of  the  Holy  Name,  with  a  short  intermission,  from  1867 

300 


y/, 


C-''y>^  ^3^--l^«. 


^A^£^^ 


301 


to  1881.  In  1871,  before  the  great  fire,  Mr.  Allen  organized  a  volunteer 
choir,  and  introduced  the  Gregorian  and  Csecilian  music.  In  this  he  was 
a  pioneer  in  the  west,  the  next  church  to  follow  being  the  cathedral  of 
Leavenworth,  Mo.,  in  1876.  Mr.  Allen  has  been  identified  ever  since  he 
first  came  to  Chicago  with  all  the  great  musical  performances  which  have 
taken  place  in  Chicago.  In  1883  he  was  one  of  the  orchestra  which, 
under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas,  made  the  great  transconti- 
nental concert  tour  from  ocean  to  ocean.  At  the  same  time  he  has 
entered,  heart  and  soul,  into  the  subject  of  good,  ecclesiastical  church 
music,  and  was  invited  to  read  the  paper  on  Church  Music  at  the  Catholic 
Congress,  in  November,  1889.  Personally  he  has  a  pleasant  address, 
quiet  manners  and  the  instincts  of  a  scholar. 

Frederick  Hes.s. 

A  musician  who  since  his  residence  in  Chicago  has  exercised  no 
little  influence  for  the  advancement  of  musical  taste  and  musical  interests 
in  the  west  is  Mr.  Frederick  Hess,  the  distinguished  'cellist,  who  has 
been  so  frequently  heard  in  concerts  in  the  western  cities  of  late  years. 
Mr.  Hess  was.  born  at  Mannheim,  Germany,  in  1863,  and  he  came  to 
America  with  his  parents  in  1866.  At  the  early  age  of  eight  years  he 
began  the  study  of  the  violoncello  under  the  guidance  of  his  father,  who 
was  a  pupil  of  the  great  composer,  Spohr.  For  two  years  he  remained  in 
America,  and  "then  he  visited  England  and  Holland,  appearing  in  public 
in  the  latter  country'  in  connection  with  his  father,  sister  and  brother,  all 
of  whom  were  musicians  of  talent.  After  a  sojourn  of  several  months  in 
Amsterdam  he  went  to  Heidelberg,  where  he  resided  for  five  j-ears,  pro- 
ceeding thence  to  Frankfort,  where  he  graduated  from  Dr.  Hoch's  con- 
servator}'. Mr.  Hess  studied  the  'cello  under  the  celebrated  virtuoso 
Bernhard  Cossmann,  and  he  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  the  instruction  of 
the  eminent  composer  Joachim  Raff.  As  a  soloist  and  an  exponent  of 
chamber  music,  he  traveled  a  great  deal  in  Germany,  and  in  1885  he  came 
again  to  the  United  States,  .locating  at  once  in  Chicago,  where  he  at  once 
took  first  rank  as  a  performer  upon  the  beautiful  instrument  to  which  he 
has  given  the  greater  part  of  his  study.  He  has  played  with  Theodore 
Thomas'  orchestra  several  seasons,  and  is  at  present  connected  with  the 
American  Conservatory  of  Music  and  the  Apollo  School  of  Music.  Mr. 
Hess  is  a  scholarly  and  thoughtful  performer,  with  many  brilliant  quali- 
ties, as  well  as  deeper  and  more  intellectual  traits.  His  services  in 
chamber  music  in  Chicago  have  been  of  great  value.  He  is  regularly  a 
member  of  the  Wolfsohn  Trio  Combination,  and  belongs  to  several  other 
organizations  devoted  to  music  of  this  class. 

302 


» 


Josephine  Chatterton. 

Mme.  Josephine  Chatterton,  directress  of  the  harp  department  of 
Chicago  Musical  College,  who  has  been  identified  with  American  music 
since  1880,  was  born  in  London,  England,  her  father  being  Frederick 
Chatterton,  a  noted  London  harpist  and  composer  for  his  instrument, 
himself  a  pupil  of  the  renowned  Bochsa.  Her  musical  talent  was  evinced 
at  the  early  age  of  five,  and  she  had  thereafter  the  advantage  of  the 
devoted  attention  and  training  of  her  father,  to  whom  she  owes  her 
musical  education  on  the  instrument  in  which  she  has  become  distinguished. 
Mr.  Chatterton  wisely  determining  to  prevent  his  child  from  becoming  an 
infant  prodigy  harpist, ' '  and  having  sagacious  regard  for  her  permanent 
musical  interests,  sent  her  abroad  at  the  age  of  seven,  to  a  convent  near 
Cherbourg,  France,  where  she  had  the  affectionate  care  of  the  lady  abbess, 
who  had  been  a  school  fellow  of  her  mother.  Returning  home  at  the  age 
of  eleven,  she  wa-^  placed  at  one  of  the  best  English  schools,  her  father 
continuing  his  personal  instruction  on  the  harp.  Subsequently  she  studied 
at  Queen's  College,  and  became  a  pupil  in  harmonj^  of  Sir  William  Stemdale 
Bennett,  and  in  harmony  and  English  classics  under  Rev.  Dr.  Nicolay, 
taking  a  diploma  of  high  rank.  She  also  received  vocal  culture  from 
Baron  Calli,  professor  of  singing  at  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music,  and 
from  Signor  Poggi,  from  whom  she  received  testimonials.  She  made  a 
successful  dt-but  in  London  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  and  was  soon  in  popular 
demand  at  the  leading  concerts  during  the  London  season.  So  highly 
appreciated  was  her  musical  skill  that  she  had  the  honor  of  being  accorded 
the  use  of  Mr.  Gladstone's  Carlton  House  Terrace  mansion  for  a  benefit 
matinee,  and  was  otherwise  honored.  In  1880  she  came  to  America  under 
the  auspices  of  Redpath's  bureau,  playing  at  leading  events,  under  the 
direction  of  Listemann  and  Zerrahn,  and  receiving  high  encomiums  from 
the  press.  Visiting  New  York,  she  gave  a  harp  recital  at  Steinway 
hall  with  Emily  Winant,  the  vocalist,  and  her  playing  was  so  appreciated 
by  the  impresario,  Maurice  Strakosch,  that  he  at  once  engaged  her 
for  two  concerts  with  Emma  Thursby,  at  Steinwa}'  hall  and  Brooklyn 
Academj^  of  Music.  Her  prominence  in  harp  music  has  since  been 
ever^-where  recognized,  and  she  has  been  associated  with  Clarence  Edd}^ 
in  harp  and  organ  recitals,  and  won  applause  at  many  important  concert 
and  festival  events,  on  one  occasion,  while  at  Montreal,  eliciting  personal 
congratulations  from  that  keen  art  critic,  the  Princess  Louise.  Since 
1888  she  has  been  in  charge  of  the  harp  department  at  Chicago  College 
of  Music. 


Josephine  Chatterton. 


305 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Great  Musical  Festivals. 

'MONG  the  forces  operative  in  stimulating  and  developing  the 
ji*  musical  taste  of  this  country,  we  must  by  no  means  lose  sight  of 
the  great  musical  festivals.  These,  by  reason  of  the  large  num- 
ber of  persons  concerned  in  them  as  performers  and  supporters,  and 
'{^  the  great  publicity  naturally  resulting,  have  interested  a  great  number 
of  individuals  in  music,  and  led  them  to  realize  its  beauty  and 
sublimity,  at  least  in  part,  who  might  have  passed  through  life  unaflFected 
by  the  incidents  of  ordinary  concert  and  operatic  seasons.  These  festivals 
have  helped,  also,  to  form  a  better  ideal  of  complete  performance,  espe- 
cially upon  the  side  of  fullness,  richness  and  strength,  than  is  possible  to 
be  realized  in  ordinary  concerts.  Still  farther,  in  several  cities  they  have 
led  to  the  erection  of  large  music  halls  for  performances  upon  a  grand 
scale,  thereby  facilitating  and  inviting  such  events  in  the  future. 

These  festivals  naturally  divide  themselves  into  four  or  five  classes. 
In  the  first  class  in  point  of  date,  must  be  included  those  of  the  Handel 
and  Haydn  Society,  of  Boston,  which  began  in  1867,  and  have  been 
repeated  trienniall}-  ever  since.  Their  object  has  been  to  realize  a  more 
perfect  performance  of  great  works  than  is  possible  under  the  ordinary 
conditions  of  the  society  concerts.  In  the  second  class,  also  in  point  of 
time,  must  be  put  the  biennial  gatherings  of  the  North  American  Sacnger- 
bund,  composed  of  German  societies  collected  for  singing,  and  peculiarly 
German  object  of  Gcmuthlichkcit.  In  the  third  class  we  reckon  the 
great  peace  jubilees,  which,  while  ab-surdlj-  big,  were  also  musical. 
Fourth,  we  reckon  the  festivals  held  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Theodore 
Thomas,  in  Cincinnati  and  elsewhere,  since  1880,  the  value  of  which 
consisted  in  their  bringing  high-class  interpretations  of  verj-  important 
works  before  audiences  in  remote  parts  of  the  countr)'.  Yet  a  fifth 
category  might  also  be  counted,  for  the  operatic  festivals  held  in  various 
cities  under  local  management  co-operating  with  Mr.  H.  G.  Abbey  and 
Colonel  Mapleson. 

306 


Maud  Morgan. 


307 


HANDEL  AND  HAYDN  TRIENNIAL  FESTIVALS. 

fejISTORICALLY  considered,  the  most  important  series  of  musical 
-  r=,^=|s  festivals  maintained  in  tiiis  country  have  been  those  of  the  Han- 
^!^         del  and  Haydn  society,  in  Boston.     In  addition  to  their  regular 

work,  they  uijdertook  a  festival  in  1857,  and  made  a  tentative  suc- 
^  cess.  Among  the  solo  artists  of  that  occasion  was  Mr.  Geo.  Simp- 
'  .son,  the  English  tenor,  who  also  sang  at  the  festival  of  1865.  In 
1865  a  second  festival  was  undertaken  commemorative  of  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versar}-  of  the  society.  Upon  this  occasion  the}-  had  the  benefit  of  the 
great  organ  erected  the  previous  year;  the  chorus  numbered  about  seven 
hundred,  and  the  orchestra  about  1 15.  The  festival  lasted  an  entire  week, 
and  the  financial  part  of  it  was  so  well  managed  that  "although  the 
expenditure  reached  $17,000,  there  was  a  balance  of  $4,000  which  was 
divided  between  two  leading  war  charities. ' '  Thenceforward  the  festivals 
were  carried  on  at  intervals  of  three  years,  after  the  manner  of  the  great 
English  festivals  at  Birmingham  and  elsewhere. 

The  festival  of  1868  was  more  successful,  and  the  choral  works  per- 
formed were  Hymn  of  Praise,  preceded  by  the  choral  Ein  Fcstc  Burg, 
Messiah,  Seasons,  Creation,  St.  /'aw/and  the  choral  S3^mphony  of  Beethoven, 
with  the  great  Parepa  Rosa  in  the  soprano  solo.  This  must  have  been  a 
memorable  occasion.  The  chorus  numbered  747,  and  the  orchestra  115. 
The  soloists  were  Parepa  Rosa,  Adelaide  Phillipps,  Geo.  Simpson,  Mr. 
Rudolfsen  and  M.  W.  Whitney.  The  principal  addition  to  the  repertoire 
of  the  society  made  by  this  festival  was  Mendelssohn's  St.  Paul.  The 
principal  orchestral  novelty  was  Mendelssohn's  Reformation  symphony, 
the  parts  of  which  had  just  been  received  from  Germany  in  time.  Of 
the  performances  of  the  Creation  and  the  Messiah,  Mr.  Dwight  says: 
"  The  hall  was  overcrowded  upon  Saturday  and  Sunday  evenings,"  and 
many  of  the  choruses  "  we  know  not  that  we  ever  heard  so  grandl}'-  given, 
not  forgetting  Birmingham." 

The  festival  of  1871  marked  an  advance.  The  works  given  were 
Elijah,  Israel  in  Egypt,  selections  from  Bach's  Passion  J/nsie  and  IVoman 
of  Samaria,  by  Sterndale  Bennett.  The  forces  were  much  the  same  as 
at  the  previous  festivals.     The  principal  solo  artists  were  Mme.  Ruders- 


dorf,  Miss  Can-,  Mr.  Whitney  and  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Cummings,  tenor,  from 
London.  The  Bach  music  was  then  given  for  the  first  time,  in  this 
country,  and  although  the  style  of  it  was  new  to  all  concerned,  the  sing- 
ers no  less  than  the  audience,  it  made  a  powerful  effect.  The  festival 
closed  on  Sunday  evening  with  a  splendid  performance  of  Handel's 
Mcssia/i.  Mr.  Dwight  said:  "In  the  magnitude  and  richness  of  the 
programme  it  even  surpassed  most  of  the  festivals  abroad. ' '  The  chorus 
was  the  best  of  the  whole. 

The  third  festival  opened  May  5,  1874.  The  forces  employed  were 
a  little  smaller,  the  chorus  numbering  a  little  over  five  hundred  and  the 
orchestra  over  one  hundred.  The  training  had  been  more  thorough  than 
formerly,  and  Mr.  Dwight  said:  "  It  was  the  best  chorus  singing  through 
the  entire  work  that  we  have  5^et  realized."  This  was  in  Judas  Macca- 
bcsiis.  The  other  works  given  were  Haydn's  Seasons  and  Beethoven's 
ninth  symphony,  John  K.  Paine's  St.  Peter  for  the  first  time,  Mendels- 
sohn's unfinished  oratorio  of  Christtis,  and  Buck's  Forty-sixth  Psalm,  also 
for  the  first  time. 

The  fourth  festival  opened  May  16,  1877.  The  works  performed 
were  Elijah,  the  first  two  parts  of  Bach's  Christmas  Oratorio,  Mr.  J.  C.  D. 
Parker's  Redemption  Hymn,  Ferdinand  Killer's  Song  of  Victory,  Samson, 
and  Israel  in  Kgypt  and  Saint-Saens'  A'oel.  The  principal  solo  artists 
were  Mr.  Chas.  R,  Adams,  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  Miss  Cary,  Mr.  Winch 
and  Mr.  Whitney.  The  festival  was  supplemented  by  an  extra  perform- 
ance of  Elijah,  in  which  Mme.  Pappenheim  and  Mr.  Adams  were  the 
central  figures.  This  festival  was  a  great  success  in  all  respects.  Mr. 
Parker's  Redemption  Hymn  was  pronounced  by  Mr.  Dwight  to  have  been 
"the  success  of  the  festival.  The  singers  and  audience  were  wrought 
up  to  the  highest  pitch.     At  the  end  he  was  called  out  manj-  times." 

The  fifth  festival  opened  May  4,  1880.  The  works  performed  were, 
St.  Paul,  Spohr's  Last  Judgmeiit,  Rossini's  Stabat  Mater,  Verdi's  Manzino 
Requiem.  Dudle}'  Buck's  symphonic  overture  on  Sir  Walter  Scott's 
Marmion,  two  parts  from  Haydn's  Seasons,  and  Handel's  Solomon.  The 
principal  soloists  were  Miss  Cary,  Mi.ss  Thursby,  Cappanini,  Mr. 
Courtney,  Mr.  Whitney  and  Fannie  Kellogg.  The  chorus  numbered 
about  five  hundred,  orchestra  about  one  hundred.  In  commenting  upon 
the  programmes  of  the  festival  as  a  whole  Mr.  Dwight  honestly  recognizes 
the  fact  that  in  undertaking  the  Beethoven  Missa  Solcnnis  and  the  Bach 
cantata  Ein  Feste  Burg,  the  Cincinnati  festival  had  surpassed  the  Handel 
and  Haydn  record. 

An  attentive  examination  of  the  foregoing  programmes  indicates  that 
nothing  farther  was  to  have  been  expected  from  them.     From  the  begin- 

309 


ning  they  have  been  under  the  same  conductor,  the  veteran  Zerrahn,  and 
the  type  of  programme  and  the  range  of  selections  have  varied  but  little. 
It  was  different  when  Mr.  Thomas  took  up  the  festival  business,  as  he  did 
with  the  opening  of  the  May  festivals  in  Cincinnati,  of  which  he  insisted 
from  the  first  that  he  should  make  the  programmes. 

Similar  festivals  to  these  have  been  given  for  the  past  thirty-two 
j^ears  at  Worcester,  Mass. ,  under  the  direction  of  Carl  Zerrahn.  They  have 
necessarily  been  on  a  rather  smaller  scale,  the  chorus  generall}'  being  about 
five  hundred  voices.  The  works  produced  have,  however,  always  been  of 
the  highest  standard.  For  example,  in  1887,  they  brought  out  Bruch's 
oratorio,  Armznzus ;  Berlioz's  Damnation  of  Faust ;  Mendelssohn's  J//d?- 
siimmcr  Nighf  s  Dream,  and  Elijah.  The  principal  soloisis  were  Mmes. 
Valde,  Pappenheim  and  Trebelli  and  Messrs.  Max  Alvary,  Stoddard, 
Heinrich,  etc.  The  history  of  Worcester  musical  festivals  is  a  pleasant 
record  of  successful  growth. 

The  Gilmore  Peace  Jubilees. 

In  a  wholly  different  plane  from  festivals  of  this  kind  were  the  great 
Peace  Jubilees  given  in  Boston  under  the  inspiration  of  that  consummate 
master,  Patrick  Sarsfield  Gilmore,  in  1869  and  1872.  These  were  not 
the  first  undertakings  of  similar  character  carried  through  in  Boston.  On 
the  contrarj^  at  the  close  of  the  war  of  18 12  there  was  a  peace  jubilee 
upon  a  large  scale  for  those  days.  But  this  of  Gilmore' s  was  intended  to 
be,  and  actually  succeeded  in  being,  the  largest  affair  of  the  sort  up  to 
that  time,  and  in  several  of  its  features  it  was  distinctly  novel.  The 
chorus  of  ten  thousand  voices  was  collected  from  different  parts  of  the 
country,  especially  from  New  England  and  eastern  New  York.  They 
were  trained  at  home  by  local  conductors,  acting  under  Gilmore's  direc- 
tion. The  orchestra  was  collected  from  New  York  and  all  the  New 
England  cities,  and  numbered  about  eight  hundred.  There  were  many 
celebrated  solo  singers,  not  forgetting  a  pianist.  As  no  ordinary  hall 
would  hold  people  enough  to  render  such  monstrous  concerts  remunerat- 
ive, a  large  one  was  built  expressly  for  the  purpose.  It  was  located  upon 
the  new  land  in  Back  Baj',  and  was  capable  of  accommodating  thirty 
thousand  hearers.  The  hearers  were  forthcoming  when  wanted,  and  the 
first  jubilee  closed  with  a  balance  in  the  treasury'. 

The  second  was  planned  with  the  express  intention  of  surpassing  the 
first,  or  in  sporting  parlance,  "beating  the  record,"  which  it  certainly 
did.  The  large  hall  was  capable  of  holding  fifty  thousand  hearers,  and 
the  chorus  was  enlarged  to  twenty  thousand  people.  The  orchestra  was 
raised  to  the  colossal  proportions  of  two  thousand  instruments.     A  chorus 

310 


p.  S.   GiLMORE. 


3>i 


organ  expressly  voiced  for  the  purpose,  upon  a  six,  eight  and  ten  inch 
wind,  was  built  by  Messrs.  Hook  &  Hastings.  Several  conductors  of 
European  fame  were  imported  to  lend  sanction  to  the  occasion.  Among 
these  were  Franz  Abt,  the  great  song  writer,  Edward  Strauss  of  Vienna, 
etc.  There  were  several  foreign  bands,  one  from  Germanj^  one  from 
France,  etc.  The  hall  was  too  large  to  hear  in,  and  the  chorus  and 
orchestra  too  large  to  sing  satisfactorily  together  without  more  training, 
and  that  of  a  different  kind  than  had  been  forthcoming  in  this  case. 
Hence  the  tempo  lagged,  and  the  large  numbers  were  given  very  slowly. 
Even  if  the  time  had  been  exact,  the  difference  of  distance  of  one  part  of 
the  chorus  or  another  from  any  one  hearer  was  so  great  that  tones  uttered 
.simultaneously  reached  the  ears  at  a  slight  interval  of  delay.  Solo  voices 
in  that  colossal  hall  sounded  like  miniatures,  or  much  as  the  singers 
looked  through  the  small  end  of  opera  glasses,  or  even  with  the  naked 
eye  from  the  rear  of  the  hall.  Everything  could  be  heard,  but  only  the 
large  things  with  satisfactory  fullness.  The  great  feature  of  the  occasion 
was  the  audience.  It  was  estimated,  no  doubt  excessively,  that  upon  the 
afternoon  when  General  Grant  attended  there  were  at  least  seventy 
thousand  people  within  the  walls  of  the  building.  This  very  likely  is 
allowing  too  liberally  for  the  consumption  of  material  in  festooning  the 
rafters  and  cross  beams  of  the  hall  with  human  beings,  hung  up  to  cure, 
filling  the  standing  room,  and  crowding  the  vdcinity  out  of  doors — all  of 
which  things  were  done  to  the.  fullest  extent  possible,  each  individual 
deciding  for  himself  as  to  his  chance  of  getting  within  hearing  or  seeing 
distance. 

The.se  jubilees  also  exerted  considerable  influence  in  another  way, 
especially  the  last  one.  The  vast  chorus  was  collected  from  all  parts  of 
the  countr}^  as  far  west  as  Omaha.  The  music  had  been  distributed 
months  before  the  time,  and  the  choruses  had  been  organized  by  Dr. 
Tourjee  under  local  conductors,  who  had  the  metronome  tempi  intended 
to  be  used  at  the  performances.  This  had  the  effect  of  bringing  together 
new  chorus  material  all  over  the  country,  and  quite  a  number  of  flourish- 
ing choral  societies  grew  out  of  it.  The  railwaj-s  also  made  special  rates, 
and  the  attendance  from  all  parts  of  the  countrj^  was  ver>^  large.  The 
aggregate,  however,  was  still  insufficient,  and  there  was  a  deficit  of 
$100,000,  which  came  out  of  the  guarantors.  This  ended  the  jubilee 
business  upon  so  vast  a  scale  until  such  a  time  as  a  new  generation  of 
guarantors  had  time  to  grow  up.  While  moneyed  men  rather  enjoy 
going  security  when  there  is  no  need  of  their  services,  they  heartily  dis- 
like it  in  the  event  of  their  having  to  pay.  Among  the  solo  singers  of  the 
of  the  first  jubilee  the  name  of  Parepa-Rosa  is  preemiment;  of  the  second, 

312 


Mme.  Rudersdorf.  There  was  also  a  pianist,  Franz  Bendel,  who  j^layed 
upon  a  piano  of  Hallett  &  Davis'  make,  expressly  constructed  for  the 
enormous  space  in  which  it  had  to  be  heard.  It  would  perhaps  be  unkind 
to  say  that  no  good  results  were  attained  by  this  colossal  musical  picnic, 
but  it  would  be  equally  impossible  to  define  exactly  what  thej'  were. 
Probably  the  record  of  numbers  was  the  main  gain  to  art,  and  the  dis- 
covery that  beyond  certain  proportions  increase  of  numbers  adds  nothing 
to  the  effectiveness  of  master  works. 

The  Cincinnati  May  Festivals. 

These  festivals  are  said  to  owe  their  origin  to  the  German  Sanger- 
festen,  the  earliest  of  which  was  held  in  Cincinnati  in  1849,  and  from  the 
festival  held  in  that  city  in  1870,  when  nearly  two  thousand  singers  took 
part,  the  May  Festival  movement  gained  its  first  impetus.  It  was  sug- 
gested to  Mr.  Thomas  in  1872  that  there  should  be  held  in  Cincinnati  a 
national  festival  of  the  singers  and  instrumentalists  of  the  United  States. 
He  thought  it  possible,  and  undertook  the  work  of  carrying  out  the 
project.  A  guarantee  fund  was  raised  and  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Thomas,  by  far  the  most  able  man  for  such  a  post,  the  first  Ma}-  festival 
was  held  in  1873.  The  chorus  numbered  about  850  and  consisted  of 
various  societies,  mosth-  from  Cincinnati.  The  orchestra  numbered  about 
105,  including  the  members  of  Mr.  Thomas'  orchestra,  Cincinnati  mu- 
sicians and  members  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society.  The  organ 
was  a  single  manual  of  fourteen  stops,  built  by  a  Cincinnati  firm,  Koenke 
&  Co.  The  main  works  were  Dettingeyi  Te  Deum  (Handelj,  Beethoven's 
ninth  symphony,  march  and  chorus  from  Wagner's  Tannhdtiser;  Orpheus 
(Gliick);  Magic  Flute  (Mozart);  Gipsy  Life  (Schumann);  symphony  in  C 
(Schubert),  and  Walptirgis  Night  Qsl^&n^^ssohxx).  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas 
was  the  conductor  and  Dr.  Otto  Singer  the  chorus  master.  Dr.  C.  C. 
Miller  was  the  official  agent. 

The  principal  soloists  were  Miss  A.  L.  Cary  (contralto),  Mrs.  H.  M. 
Smith  (soprano),  Mr.  Nelson  Varley  (tenor)  and  Mr.  Whitney  (bass). 
The  work  done  by  chorus  and  orchestra  was  above  reproach.  There  was 
a  large  attendance  at  all  the  concerts,  and  so  great  was  the  enthusiasm 
aroused  that  a  request  for  another  festival  was  presented  on  the  last  evening 
from  the  leading  citizens  of  Cincinnati. 

The  second  musical  festival  began  on  Maj-  17,  1875.  It  was  held  in 
the  Exhibition  hall,  and  showed  in  every  respect  a  marked  advance  upon 
the  first  festival.  The  business  arrangements  were  in  the  hands  of  the 
Cincinnati  Biennial  Musical  Festival  Association,  which  had  been  incor- 
porated in  1874.     In   the  autumn  of  that  year  the  chorus  was  organized 

313 


under  Prof.  Otto  Singer,  who  had  then  just  made  his  home  in  the  city. 
The  programme  was  vefy  strong,  including  Brahm's  Triumphal  Hymn 
(Op.  55),  Beethoven's  seventh  symphony,  Wagner's  Lohefigrin,  Mendels- 
sohn's Elijah,  Bach's  Magnificat,  Beethoven's  ninth  symphony,  Schu- 
bert's symphony  in  C,  and  Liszt's  Prometheus.  The  chorus,  consisting 
of  294  .sopranos,  134  altos,  145  tenors  and  223  basses,  in  all  796  voices,  was 
finely  trained  and  did  its  work  excellently.  The  principal  soloists  were 
Mrs.  H.  M.  Smith  and  Miss  Whinnery,  sopranos;  Miss  Annie  Louise 
Cary  and  Miss  Emma  Crauch,  contraltos;  Messrs.  Winch  and  Alex. 
Bischoff,  tenors,  and  Messrs.  F.  Remmertz  and  M.  W.  Whitne}',  basses. 
The  chorus  was  perfectly  trained  and  rendered  that  portion  of  the  music 
with  wonderful  grace  and  technical  skill.  As  to  the  orchestra,  composed 
of  the  same  elements  as  that  of  the  first  festival,  it  was  in  the  hands  of 
a  leader  like  Thomas  necessarilj'  almost  above  praise.  Mr.  Thomas  led 
throughout,  with  Prof.  Singer  as  chorus  master,  and  Mr.  Dudley  Buck 
as  organist.  It  is  only  due  to  Mr.  John  Church,  Jr.,  of  Cincinnati,  to 
say  that  the  main  credit  for  carr3nng  the  festival  through  to  a  successful 
financial  conclusion  was  owing  to  his  unremitting  efforts.  The  success 
of  the  festival  was  so  marked  that  it  started  the  movement,  generously 
headed  by  Mr.  Springer,  which  gave  to  Cincinnati  the  finest  (at  that 
time)  music  hall  and  organ  in  America.  Owing  to  the  time  required  to 
complete  this  hall  the  next  festival  did  not  take  place  till  1878. 

The  third  festival  celebrated  the  opening  of  the  new  music  hall, 
which  had  a  seating  capacity  for  4,400  persons,  and  was  equipped  with  a 
remarkably  fine  organ,  built  by  Messrs.  Hook  &  Hastings,  and  contain- 
ing 6,237  pipes.  The  chorus  on  this  occasion  was  unusually  good.  It 
numbered  some  seven  hundred  people,  five  hundred  of  whom  had  been  in 
constant  practice  together  for  many  months.  The  singershad  been  carefully 
chosen  and  the  parts  were  admirably  balanced.  Theodore  Thomas  was 
again  the  musical  director  and  Otto  Singer  his  assistant.  The  principal 
soloists  were  Mme.  Eugenie  Pappenheim  and  Mrs.  E.  Aline  Osgood,  sop- 
rano; Miss  Annie  Louise  Cary,  Miss  Emma  Crauch  and  Miss  Louise  Roll- 
wagen,  contralto;  Mr.  Charles  Adams  and  Mr.  Christian  Fritsch,  tenor; 
Mr.  M.  W.  Whitney  and  Mr.  F.  Remmertz,  bass;  Signor  G.  Tagliapietra. 
Mr.  George  E.  Whiting  presided  at  the  organ.  The  programme  was  a 
varied  one,  the  chief  pieces  being  Gluck's  Alccste,  Beethoven's  third  S5'm- 
phoii}',  Handel's  Messiah,  selections  from  Lohcfigrin  and  G'dttcrddmme- 
rung,  Beethoven's  ninth  symphony,  scenes  from  Wagner's  Mcistcrsinger 
and  Schumann's  Manfred,  Liszt's  Missa  Solennis,  and  Berlioz's  Romeo  and 
Juliet.  A  Festival  Ode,  composed  by  Prof.  Otto  Singer  for  the  dedication 
of  the  hall,  was  also  performed.     The  masterpiece  of  the  festival  was  The 

3>4 


Messiah,  the  rendering  of  which  called  forth  high  critical  praise.  This  was 
undoubtedly  the  most  successful  of  all  the  festivals  up  to  that  time,  and 
marked  the  period  when  they  began  to  be  looked  forward  to  as  one  of  the 
important  events  in  the  musical  world. 

On  May  i8,  1880,  the  fourth  festival  was  held  and  brought  together 
a  more  representative  musical  and  critical  assemblage  than  an}-  of  the  pre- 
vious occasions.  The  chorus  and  orchestra  were  made  up  of  the  same 
materials  as  composed  those  of  the  third  festival.  The  principal  soloists 
included  Miss  Amy  Sherwin  and  Miss  Annie  Burt  Norton,  soprano;  Miss 
Annie  Louise  Gary,  and  Miss  Emma  Cranch,  contralto;  Signor  Italo 
Campanini  and  Mr.  Fred  Harvey,  tenor;  Mr.  M.  W.  Whitney,  bass;  and 
Mr.  J.  F.  Rudolphsen,  baritone.  The  programme  did  not  present  any 
great  piece,  but  was  a  good  selection  from  a  variety  of  works.  Among 
them  were  Bach's  cantata,  A  Stronghold  Sure,  Mozart's  symphony  in 
C  major,  Handel's  y«(^//a/(?,  Mendelssohn's  Midsummer  Night' s  Dream, 
Saint-Saens'  sj-mphonic  poem,  Beethoven's  Missa  So/e/inis,  Schumann's 
fourth  sj^mphony,  Wagner's  Die  Walkiire,  Dudley  Buck's  Scenes  from  the 
Goldeji  Legend,  fragments  from  Wagner's  Meistcrsinger  and  Gbtterddm- 
merung,  Beethoven's  fifth  sj-mphony  and  Handel's  Coronation  Anthem. 
The  most  markedly  successful  of  all  the  pieces  was  Mr.  Buck's  cantata, 
the  performance  of  which  aroused  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  At  its  con- 
clusion the  composer  was  called  forward  and  received  quite  an  ovation. 
Mr.  Thomas  on  the  last  night  was  also  the  recipient  of  a  pleasing  testi- 
monial in  the  shape  of  a  handsome  car\-ed  music  stand.  After  paying  all 
the  expenses  the  treasurer  had  a  balance  in  hand  of  about  $14,000,  a  suf- 
ficient proof  of  success. 

The  record  of  the  Cincinnati  Musical  Festivals  is  one  of  ever  growing 
success.  From  all  points  of  views  the  event  of  1882  was  a  remarkable 
advance  upon  all  previous  attempts,  and  drew  the  warmest  criticism  from 
all  quarters.  Several  of  the  great  musical  critics  of  Europe  were  present, 
and  praised  the  performance  loudly  and  earnestly.  The  chorus  conductor 
on  this  occasion  was  Prof.  Arthur  Mees,  and  he  brought  the  members  up 
to  the  highest  pitch  of  perfection,  so  that  on  the  last  night  of  the  festival 
Mr.  Thomas  publicly  acknowledged  his  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Mees  for  the 
good  work  done.  The  chorus  numbered  over  600.  The  chief  soloists 
were  Materna,  the  great  dramatic  singer,  of  whom  Wagner  once  said,  "  I 
have  found  my  Brunhilde";  Candidus,  the  tenor;  Miss  Cary,  Cincinnati's 
favorite  contralto,  and  Whitney,  the  bass.  The  principal  works  performed 
were  Mozart's  Requiem  and  Beethoven's  seventh  and  eighth  symphonies, 
Bach's  Passion  Music,  representative  selections  from  the  chief  of  Wagner's 
opera?,  Schumann's  Faust,  Schubert's  symphony  in  C  and  Gipsy  Sym- 

315 


phony,  Weber's  Euryanthe  and  Berlioz'  Fall  of  Troy.  A  marked  sensation 
was  made  by  the  rendering  of  Gilchrist's  prize  composition,  the  Forty-sixth 
Psalm,  the  composer  being  called  forward  to  receive  the  enthusiastic  plau- 
dits of  the  audience.  The  great  feature  of  the  festival  was  the  grand 
exposition  of  Wagner's  music  by  Materna,  who  was  heard  to  perfection 
as  ' '  Brunhilde  ' '  in  selections  from  the  Gbtterddmmerung .  Mr.  George  E. 
Whiting  was  again  the  organist. 

The  sixth  May  festival  was  held  in  1884.  The  programme  on  this 
occasion  was  remarkable,  not  alone  for  its  representative  character,  but 
the  exceeding  great  diflBculty  of  many  of  the  works  presented.  The  per- 
formance was  a  trying  test  of  that  "  noble  six  hundred,"  the  chorus,  and 
of  the  orchestra,  but  they  came  out  of  the  ordeal  triumphantly.  The 
scloists  were  stronger  than  the}^  had  ever  been  before.  Among  them 
w.  re  Materna,  Christine  Nilsson,  Miss  Emma  Juch,  Mrs.  Annie  Norton- 
Hartdegen,  Miss  Emily  Winant,  Winkelmann,  the  Wagnerian  tenor, 
Emil  Scaria,  and  Messrs.  Remmertz,  Toedt,  Heinrich,  Lindan  and  Gerold. 
The  festival  opened  with  Gounod's  Redeniptioji,  which  was  followed  by 
Beethoven's  fifth  S5'mphony,  Wagner's  Tannkdnscr,  scenes  from  Wag- 
ner's chief  operas,  selections  from  Beethoven's  works,  Handel' s /fra^/ z« 
Egypt,  Brahm's  Requiem,  etc.  The  finest  work  was  done  in  this  last- 
named  piece,  which  has  been  spoken  of  as  "  the  most  fiendishly  difficult 
effort  ever  laid  before  a  chorus. ' '  It  was  a  genuine  triumph  for  singers 
and  orchestra,  even  Mr.  Thomas,  usually  so  impassive,  laying  down  his 
baton  and  joining  in  the  applause.  Artisticalh^  the  most  perfect  and 
effective  work  was  in  the  Wagnerian  music.  Materna,  Winkelmann  and 
Scaria  were  a  trio  that  could  not  well  be  beaten  as  exponents  of  that 
school,  and  their  efforts  were  ably  seconded  b}-  the  superb  execution  of  the 
orchestra  and  chorus.  Mr.  Arthur  Mees  was  the  chorus  master,  and  dur- 
ing the  week  he  was  presented  with  a  handsome  testimonial,  consisting 
of  a  draft  on  Berlin  for  1,200  marks.  Mr.  Krehbiel,  the  musical  critic  of 
the  New  York  Tribune,  said  of  this  festival:  "The  fact  is  significant  for 
the  musical  culture  of  the  countr}',  for  it  was  demonstrated  again  to-night 
that  the  Cincinnati  interpretations  are  model  performances  from  whatever 
point  of  view  they  are  considered.  But  the  charm  of  the  festival, 
that  which  made  it  unique  among  the  performances  of  the  work  which 
Mr.  Thomas  has  conducted,  lay  in  the  work  of  the  chorus  and  orchestra. 
To  this  too  much  praise  could  scarcely  be  given,  even  if  rhapsod}*  should 
be  indulged  in." 

In  the  year  preceding  the  seventh  festival,  which  was  held  in  1886, 
Mr.  Thomas  had  reorganized  his  famous  orchestra  and  had  raised  it  to  even 
a  higher  level  of  perfection.     The  Cincinnati  Festival  Chorus  had  also 

.-16 


been  placed  upon  a  more  solid  foundation,  and  its  continuance  was  no 
longer  contingent  upon  the  receipts  at  the  biennial  meetings.  This  was 
not  the  least  valuable  of  the  results  which  have  flowed  from  the  festivals. 
The  chorus  was  the  same  in  numbers,  about  six  hundred,  while  the  orches- 
tra consisted  of  ii8  members.  Among  the  soloists  were  Miss  LiHie  L,eh- 
maini,  Miss  Emma  Juch  and  Mme.  Helene  Hastreiter,  soprano;  Miss 
Emma  Cranch,  contralto;  Mr.  William  Candidus  and  Mr.  Whitney  Mock- 
ridge,  tenor;  Mr.  M.  W.  Whitney,  Mr.  Wm.  Ludwig  and  Mr.  A.  E.  Stod- 
dard, baritone  and  bass.  The  works  performed  were  Haydn's  Creation, 
Beethoven's  third  and  seventh  symphonies,  Bach's  mass  in  B  minor, 
Beethoven's  music  to  Goethe's  Egniont,  Berlioz's  Damnation  of  Faust  and 
Synnphonie  Fantastiquc,  Rubinstein's  Tower  of  Babel,  and  Wagner's  yJ/m- 
tersingcr.  This  was  the  first  time  that  Bach's  mass  in  B  minor,  a  work  of 
wonderful  difficulty,  had  been  given  in  America,  and  it  was  remarkably 
well  rendered.  Mr.  Mathews,  writing  in  the  Chicago  Tribune,  said  : 
"  The  chorus  has  a  right  to  be  proud  of  its  success.  It  means  long  train- 
ing, hard  study,  great  esprit  dc  corps,  and  rare  patience  and  tact  upon  the 
part  of  the  chorus  master,  Mr.  Arthur  Mees.  In  the  matter  of  quality  of 
tone  I  do  not  think  this  chorus  so  good  as  that  of  the  last  Chicago  festival, 
but  in  technique,  the  ability  to  sing  the  correct  notes,  this  one  is  great." 
In  the  Tower  of  Babel  a  chorus  of  children  selected  from  the  public  schools, 
under  the  direction  of  Prof.  Junkerman,  did  some  effective  work.  Of  the 
work  of  Mr.  Mees,  in  training  the  chorus,  and  of  Mr.  George  Schneider, 
as  pianist,  too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise.  The  programme  was  one 
of  exceptional  difficulty,  and  the  manner  in  which  the  music  was  rendered 
was  a  wonderful  credit  to  all  who  took  part. 

The  festival  of  1888,  the  eighth  of  the  series,  was  noteworthy  for  its 
great  soloists,  and  also  as  making  a  better  financial  showing  than  most  of 
the  former  meetings.  The  chorus,  which  was  rather  smaller  than  before, 
had  practiced  under  some  difficulties.  It  had  three  different  conductors 
since  the  last  festival,  and  of  course  each  change  did  a  certain  amount  of 
harm.  On  this  occasion  Mr.  Ehrgott  was  the  chorus  master,  and  Mr. 
Arthur  Mees  presided  at  the  organ,  with  Theodore  Thomas  in  his  old 
place  as  musical  director.  The  soloists  were  Lillie  Lehmann,  Miss  Cranch, 
Mme.  Volda,  Mrs.  Corinne  Moore-Lawson,  Miss  Hetlich,  Edward  Lloyd, 
the  English  tenor,  Herr  Kalisch  (Mme.  Lehmann's  husband),  Messrs.  A. 
F.  Maish,  Toedt,  Whitnej',  Stoddard,  etc.  The  programme  was  of  a  more 
popular  standard  than  usual.  The  chief  works  were  Beethoven's  fifth 
symphony,  Goldmark's  Rural  Wedding,  Weber's  Hymn  of  Praise,  Men- 
delssohn's St.  Paul,  Dvorak's  Spectre's  Bride,  Rubinstein's  Paradise  Lost, 
and  selections  from  Wagner,  Haydn,  Liszt,  etc.     Prof  J.  K.  Paine  wrote 


the  So7tg  of  Promise  especiallj'  for  this  festival,  and  it  was  worthily  per- 
formed, the  composer  being  called  to  the  platform  to  acknowledge  the  gen- 
erous applause  of  the  audience.  The  feature  of  the  festival  was  the 
f.plendid  singing  of  Mr.  Lloyd  in  the  oratorio  of  St.  Paul  and  in  Dvorak's 
work.  This  was  the  latest  of  the  Cincinnati  May  festivals,  which  have 
grown  to  be  such  notable  events  in  the  musical  world. 

The  Cixcixxati  Opera  Festivals. 

This  series  of  festivals,  which  commenced  in  1881,  grew,  not 
altogether  happily,  out  of  the  Cincinnati  May  Festivals.  These  latter 
had  for  one  of  their  heartiest  supporters  Col.  Geo.  Ward  Nichols,  who 
was  the  organizer  of  the  College  of  Music,  he  being  chief  manager  and 
Theodore  Thomas  musical  director.  Between  the  two  there  arose  differ- 
ences of  opinion,  which  ended  in  Thomas  leaving  Cincinnati,  but 
continuing  the  management  of  the  May  festivals.  The  festival  chorus, 
however,  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  Colonel  Nichols,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  excluding  him  from  the  board,  whereupon  he  devised  the 
scheme  of  the  opera  festivals,  and  the  first  one  was  given  in  1881  in  the 
Music  hall,  converted  for  the  time  being  into  an  opera  house.  Maple- 
son's  Opera  Company  had  been  engaged;  there  was  an  orchestra  of 
about  one  hundred  and  a  chorus  of  three  hundred.  No  operas  new 
to  this  country  were  brought  out,  but  those  that  were  given  were  pro- 
duced worthily.  They  included  Lohengri7i,  Magic  Flute,  Aida,  Moses  in 
Egypt,  etc.  The  chorus,  which  had  been  trained  hy  Prof  Otto  Singer, 
was  composed  largely  of  amateurs,  and  in  consequence  of  its  size  was 
difficult  to  handle  on  the  stage  in  opera.  But  the  company  was  numerous 
and  effective,  and  the  festival  went  off  successfully,  while  the  receipts 
gave  the  Cincinnati  Musical  College  about  $10,000  as  net  gain. 

At  the  festival  of  1882  Patti  was  the  central  figure.  The  operas 
given  were  Huguenots,  Faust,  Carmen,  Fidelio,  William  Tell,  Magic 
Flute  and  Lohengrin.  Colonel  Mapleson  had  brought  a  good  company, 
the  college  chorus  had  been  well  trained,  and  Signor  Arditi  had  under 
his  command  a  competent  orchestra  of  about  a  hundred  players.  Cam- 
panini  and  Minnie  Hauck  divided  the  honors,  though  mention  should 
also  be  made  of  Mile.  Lauri,  a  Chicago  lady,  and  Mile.  Dorani  (Dora 
Henninges),  a  Cleveland  girl  and  a  pupil  of  the  College  of  Music,  who 
made  her  debut  on  the  operatic  stage  as  "Leonore"  in  Fidelio,  and  scored  a 
marked  success.  Patti  sang  at  two  concerts  in  mixed  programmes  and 
excited  the  same  enthusiasm  that  she  arouses  everywhere.  This  festival 
was  a  decided  success.     The  sale  of  tickets  reached  the  sum  of  $90,000. 

Colonel  Mapleson's  companj'-  at  the  third  festival  was  very  strong  — 

318 


Patti,  Albani,  Scalchi,  Fursch-Madi  —  while  at  the  same  time  Christine 
Nilsson  was  singing  at  concerts  in  another  part  of  the  city,  so  that  Cin- 
cinnati had  a  surfeit  of  singing  that  week.  The  festival  began  Jan.  29, 
1883.  The  operas  given  were  Lolicngrin,  Faust,  Sciniramidc,  Don. 
(riovanni,  William  Tell  and  Traviata.  Chorus  and  orchestra  were  again 
good,  the  latter  under  the  direction  of  Signor  Arditi.  Palti  made  her 
great  .success  as  "  Semiramide "  and  "  Zerlina  "  in  Don  Giovaiuii, 
Albani  as  "  Elsa  "  in  Lohengriyi  and  "  Marguerite"  in  Faust.  The  fes- 
tival of  18S4,  beginning  February  11,  w^as  spread  over  two  weeks.  The 
operas  were  Faust,  Le  Prophctc,  Lucia,  Gioconda,  II  Trovatore,  Le  Nozze 
di  Figaro,  La  Sojinambula,  Mignon,  Hamlet,  Robert  le  Diable,  Martha 
and  Mcjistofi-le.  The  company  this  time  was  the  well  known  Abbe}^  Opera 
Troupe,  in  which  were  Mmes.  Nilsson,  Sembrich,  Scalchi,  Valleria,  Tre- 
belli,  Fur-sch-Madi  and  Signors  Campanini,  Del  Puenti,  Capoul,  etc.  The 
festival  was  financially  unfortunate,  coming  as  it  did  directly  after  tlie 
disaster  of  the  great  flood  at  Cincinnati,  but  it  was  a  musical  and  a  dra- 
matic success.  The  mountings  of  the  various  operas  were  especially  fine. 
Upon  the  whole  this  series  of  festivals  is  interesting  musically  in 
much  the  same  manner  as  the  others  upon  the  list.  By  reason  of  good 
management,  the  number  of  performers  taking  part,  and  unusual  effort  at 
advertising  it,  man}'  people  were  newh-  interested  in  music,  and  thus  the 
public  available  as  hearers  of  future  performances  was  materially 
enlarged. 

Chicago  May  Festival. 

The  May  festivals,  held  at  Chicago  in  1882  and  1884,  were  the 
work  of  Theodore  Thomas.  The  conception  and  the  carrj-ing  out 
of  the  musical  part  were  entirely  due  to  him.  At  the  festival  of 
1882  the  orchestra  numbered  about  160  players  and  the  chorus  about 
900  (280  sopranos,  235  altos,  195  tenors  and  180  basses),  rather 
smaller  than  at  New  York  but  larger  than  at  Cincinnati.  The  chorus 
master  was  Mr.  \Vm.  L.  Tomlins,  who,  by  dint  of  untiring  energy,  had 
drilled  the  members  into  a  state  of  high  efficiency.  Of  the  orchestra  the 
New  York  Tribime  said:  "  Not  the  least  part  of  the  glorj'  of  the  evening 
was  the  orchestra.  How  wonderfully  it  supported  the  singers!  How  it 
sustained,  filled  out  and  mellowed  the  tone  of  the  chorus!  Here  we  have 
a  colossal  orchestra  in  high  efficiency  and  in  fine  temper,  commanded  by 
the  best  of  leaders,  and  it  plays  with  a  splendor,  force,  passion,  supple- 
ness and  grace,  of  which  we  can  scarcely  .say  too  much."  The  principal 
works  performed  during  the  week  were  the  fifth  symphony  of  Beethoven, 
scenes  from  Lohengrin,    symphony  in  C  Jupiter  by  Mozart,    selections 

319 


from  Lc  Nozze  di  Figaro  (Mozart)  and  from  Eurjanthe  (Weber),  The 
Messiah,  Bach's  cantata  Fesio  Asccjicionis  Christi,  Beethoven's  ninth  sym- 
phony, selections  from  the  Nibclungcn  Trilogy,  Sacra  Missa  in  C  minor 
(Schumann)  and  the  Fall  of  Troy  (Berlioz).  The  soloists  were  Miss  Gary, 
who  was  unhappily  suffering  from  a  severe  cold  during  most  of  the  time, 
Miss  Winant,  Mme.  Materna,  Mrs.  Osgood,  Signor  Campanini  and  Messrs. 
Toedt,  Remmertz,  Henschel,  Whitney  and  Candidus.  At  the  last  concert 
Mr.  Tomlins  received  immense  applause  for  the  admirable  waj'  in  which 
he  had  trained  and  led  the  chorus.  He  was  personallj^  thanked  by  Mr. 
Thomas,  and  was  presented  with  a  complete  copy  of  the  works  of  Handel 
as  a  mark  of  appreciation  bj'  the  chorus. 

The  festival  of  1884  was  as  great  as  its  predecessor.  The  orchestra 
and  chorus  were  about  the  same  as  in  1882,  though  the  former  (notably 
in  the  Berlioz  Reqiiicvi)  was  rather  strengthened.  There  were  playing  in 
this  orchestra  J.  Eller,  oboe,  H.  Brandt,  principal  of  first  violins,  and 
Adolph  Hartdegen,  first  'cellist  —  three  very^  fine  performers.  The  chorus 
■was  again  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Tomhns,  who  had  trained  it  so 
successfully  before.  The  chief  works  were  Mozart's  sjnnphony  in  G  minor; 
Beethoven's  symphony  No.  3,  Eroica;  Schubert's  symphony  in  C,  No.  9; 
Haydn's  OYa//£';z/  Wagner's  Taiuihdiiser;  selections  iroxn.  Lohengrin,  Par- 
sifal and  the  Walkiire,  Messe  des  Morts  (Berlioz),  Handel's  Dcttijigen  Te 
Deum  and  Gounod's  Redemption.  The  soloists  were  Materna,  Emma 
Juch,  Christine  Nilsson,  Winant,  Scaria,  Winkelmann,  Remmertz,  Toedt, 
Heinrich,  etc. 

The  Festival  Association,  under  whose  auspices  the  festivals  were 
given,  was  composed  of  the  following:  President,  N.  K.  Fairbank;  vice- 
presidents,  Geo.  L.  Dunlap  and  A.  A.  Sprague;  committee  on  music, 
Chas.  D.  Hamill,  Philo  A.  Otis  and  J.  P.  Kelly;  committee  on  finance,  A. 
C.  McClurg,  Chas.  L.  Hutchinson,  J.  Hardy  Bradley;  committee  on 
press,  etc.,  Geo.  C.  Clarke,  Edward  G.  Mason  and  Franklin  MacVeagh; 
committee  on  hall,  John  M.  Clark,  W.  S.  Crosbj',  Jas.  Van  Inwagen. 
Mr.  Milvvard  Adams  was  the  business  manager  on  both  occasions. 

First  Chicago  Grand  Opera  Festival. 

The  musical  movement  in  Chicago,  which  has  given  the  city 
her  grand  auditorium,  had  its  birth  in  1884,  when  the  details  were 
planned  for  the  first  Chicago  Grand  Opera  Festival.  The  men  at 
the  head  of  this  project  were  A.  A.  Sprague,  R.  T.  Crane,  Geo. 
Schneider,  Ferd.  W.  Peck,  Henry  Field,  Geo.  F.  Harding,  Eugene 
Cary,  John  R.  Walsh,  Louis  Wahl,  Geo.  M.  Bogue  and  Wm.  Penn 
Nixon,  who  formed  the  board  of  directors.     The  gradual  withdrawal,  in 

320 


£o^t^ 


321 


America,  of  grand  opera  out  of  the  reach  of  the  masses  and  its  limitation 
as  a  luxury  to  those  who  possessed  more  ample  means,  prompted  the  incep- 
tion of  this  plan  for  providing  grand  opera  for  the  people  at  popular  prices 
within  the  reach  of  all,  and  at  the  same  time  it  was  desired  to  raise  the 
perfoiTnances  to  a  higher  standard  of  excellence.  The  ultimate  hope  of  the 
projectors  was  to  foster  the  production  of  original  works  in  our  own  lan- 
guage. The  city  at  that  time  had  no  hall  or  theatre  with  adequate  seat- 
ing capacitj^  for  such  an  undertaking,  and  the  Chicago  Opera  Festival  As- 
sociation (incorporated  April  i6,  1884)  determined  to  erect  a  suitable 
auditorium  in  the  north  end  of  the  exposition  building.  A  fine  structure, 
w'ith  a  seating  capacity  of  six  thousand,  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $70,000, 
Messrs.  Adler  &  Sullivan  being  the  architects.  The  enterprise,  starting 
out  with  such  an  enormous  expenditure,  seemed  hazardous,  but  the  suc- 
cessful end  fully  justified  the  daring  of  the  promoters. 

The  association  engaged  Col.  J.  H.  Mapleson  to  furnish  his  entire 
troupe.  The  chorus  of  sixt)-  was  augmented  bj-  a  local  organization  of 
three  hundred  fresh  voices,  and  the  orchestra  was  increased  to  one  hun- 
dred musicians.  Luigi  Arditi,  the  veteran  conductor  of  Her  Majestj-'s 
Opera  Company,  was  the  musical  director  and  Colonel  Mapleson  managing 
director.  The  company  was  remarkablj^  strong,  including  Patti,  Fursch- 
Madi,  Dotti,  Scalchi,  with  Emma  Steinbach,  Saruggia  and  Emma  Nevada, 
the  last  three  of  whom  made  their  first  appearance  on  this  occasion.  The 
tenors  were  Giannini,  Rinaidini,  Cardinali,  Vicini,  Bialetto  and  Nicolini; 
baritones,  De  Anna  and  De  Pasqualis,  both  appearing  for  the  first  time; 
basses,  Cherubini,  Caracciolo,  Manni,  De  A'aschetti  and  Serbolini.  Mme. 
Malvina  Cavalazzi  was  premiere  danseuse.  The  following  were  the  operas 
in  their  order  of  production:  Semiramide  (Rossini),  U  Africaine  (Me^'er- 
beer),  Miirlla  (Gounod),  A'ida  (Verdi),  Lucia  di  Lammermoor  (Donizetti), 
Martha  (Flotow),  Der  Freischiitz  (Weber),  La  Sonnambula  (Bellini)  // 
Trovatorc  (Verdi),  Puritani  (Bellini),  Faust  (Gounod)  and  Lohengrin ' 
(Wagner). 

Artisticall}'  the  festival  could  not  fail  of  success.  The  only  doubt  was 
as  to  the  popular  prices  proving  sufficiently  remunerative  to  cover  the  cost 
of  the  building  and  of  the  engagment  of  such  an  expensive  company.  In 
order  to  guard  againsi;  disaster  many  of  the  citizens  came  forward  and 
guaranteed  a  sum  large  enough  to  cover  any  possible  deficit,  but  fortu- 
nately the  actual  receipts,  about  $1 19,000,  were  sufficient  to  mark  the  fes- 
tival as  a  signal  success  in  every  particular,  and  further  than  this,  the 
taste  for  grand  opera  was  .so  awakened  in  the  city  that  a  scheme  was  set 
on  foot  for  building  the  present  auditorium,  containing  one  of  the  finest 
halls  for  this  purpose  in  the  world. 


Chicago  Auditorium. 


3^3 


The  Chicago  Auditorium. 
This  remarkable  building  which  followed  the  great  Chicago  opera  fes- 
tival of  1855  in  asimilarway  to  that  in  which  the  Cincinnati  Music  Hall  grew 
out  of  the  May  festivals  in  that  city,  is  due  to  the  courage,  enthusiasm  and 
business  sagacity  of  one  man,  Mr.  Ferd  W.  Peck.  Mr.  Peck  was  born  in 
Chicago  in  1841,  and  educated  in  Chicago.  It  has  been  his  pride 
to  lend  his  remarkable  administrative  ability,  and  his  still  more  unusual 
gift  of  influencing  others,  to  every  good  purpose  likely  to  reflect 
honor  or  benefit  upon  his  native  city.  In  this  way  he  has  been  connected 
with  a  great  variety  of  public  enterprises,  president  of  the  city  board  of 
education,  etc.,  until  now,  when  his  name  is  one  of  the  best  known  and 
honored  in  the  city.  Previous  to  the  Auditorium  one  of  his  great  achieve- 
ments was  that  of  building  a  complete  opera  house  in  the  Exposition 
structure,  within  five  weeks,  at  an  expense  of  $60,000.  The  Auditorium 
building,  of  which  a  perspective  view  fronts  this  page,  occupies 
half  a  block,  running  160  feet  on  Wabash  avenue,  362  on  Congress, 
and  187  feet  on  Michigan  avenue.  It  is  ten  stories  high,  with  a 
great  tower  containing  twenty  stories  of  rooms.  The  Michigan  and  Con- 
gress street  fronts  are  devoted  to  hotel  purposes,  containing  400  rooms. 
The  Wabash  avenue  front  is  an  office  building,  with  a  large  number  of 
desirable  rooms.  The  great  feature  of  the  building,  however,  is  the 
opera  house,  the  largest  in  the  world,  and  probably  the  most  complete  in 
all  stage  appointments.  The  audience  room  is  180  feet  from  rear  to  the 
proscenium  line,  119  feet  wide,  and  81  feet  high  in  the  highest  place. 
The  proscenium  opening  is  7.5  feet  wide  and  43  feet  high.  It  can  be 
reduced,  however,  by  a  curtain  of  iron  and  plaster,  to  an  opening  34x46. 
This  opening,  again,  is  closed  by  a  fire  proof  curtain  of  iron.  The  room 
is  very  handsome,  and  the  successive  tiers  of  seats  rise  so  rapidly  as  to 
afford  every  one  an  uninterrupted  view  of  the  stage.  There  are  many 
private  boxes.  The  full  seating  capacity  is  4,100.  For  convention 
purposes,  however,  this  can  be  increased  by  the  entire  stage  space  of  62X 108 
feet.  The  height  of  the  stage  is  89  feet.  It  embodies  all  the  latest 
improvements  in  the  way  of  hydraulic  apparatus,  electric  lights,  a  horizon 
effect,  which  contains  more  than  1,600  square  yards  of  canvas,  traps  and 
movable  pieces  of  stage,  capable  of  being  raised  or  lowered  entire 
through  a  variation  of  twenty  feet.  The  perfection  of  this  part  of  the 
house  may  be  judged  when  it  is  known  that  the  cost  of  the  stage  alone, 
and  its  appointments,  has  been  nearh'  $200,000.  There  is  a  concert 
organ  with  electric  action,  and  many  wonderful  improvements.  The  total 
cost  of  building  and  groimd  is  about  $4,000,000. 

324 


MUSICAL  INSTRUMENTS  IN  AMERICA. 


A^j^^, 


[  I  N  the  early  daj'S  instrumental  music  and  musical  instruments  were 
banned  by  the  Puritans  as  Quakerish  and  Popish  devices,  snares 
of  the  evil  one.  The  first  organ  of  which  we  have  record  was 
introduced  in  Boston,  in  August,  1713,  being  presented  to  the 
Queen's  chapel  by  Thomas  Brattle,  but  the  prejudice  against  its  use 
was  such  that  it  remained  unpacked  in  the  porch  of  the  church  for 
seven  months.  In  17 14  it  was  erected  and  used  there  until  1756, 
when  it  was  sold  to  St.  Paul's  church,  of  Newburyport.  It  was  there  in 
use  till  1836,  when  it  was  again  transferred  by  sale  to  St.  John's  church, 
Portsmouth,  N.  H.  The  first  organ  was  built  in  America,  bj^  Edward 
Bromfield,  Jr.,  of  Boston,  in  1745;  Rev.  Thomas  Prince  in  the  Paiioplist^ 
thus  describes  this  pioneer  eflfort  at  musical  instrument  construction: 

As  he  was  well  skilled  in  Music,  he,  for  exercise  aud  recreation,  has  made  a 
most  accurate  organ,  with  two  rows  of  keys  and  many  hundred  pipes,  his  intention 
being  twelve  hundred,  but  died  before  he  completed  it.  The  workmanship  of  the 
ke}-s  and  pipes,  surprisingly  nice  and  curious,  exceeding  anything  of  the  kind  that 
ever  came  here  from  England  ;  which  he  designed  not  merely  to  refresh  his  spirits, 
but  with  harmony  to  mix,  enliven  and  regulate  his  delightful  songs  to  his  great 
Creator,  Preserver,  Benefactor  and  Redeemer.  *  *  *  And  what  is  surprising  was 
that  he  had  but  a  few  times  looked  into  the  inside  work  of  two  or  three  organs  that 
came  from  England. 

"At  Christ  church,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  in  1764,"  says  John  M. 
Bachelder,  of  Cambridge,  who,  in  1884,  presented  to  the  New  England 
Conservatory  of  Music  the  relics  described,  "  a  sermon  was  preached  by 
Rev.  East  Apthorp,  on  'Sacred  Poetry  and  Musick,'  the  occasion  being 
the  opening  and  use  of  an  organ  which  w^as  made  by  Snetzler,  of  London, 
a  German  artist,  the  best  organ  maker  of  the  day.  It  had  been  procured 
through  the  liberality  and  exertions  of  Barlow  Trecothic,  a  relative  of 
Mr.  Apthorp,  and  afterward  Lord  Mayor  of  London.  Eleven  years  later, 
in  1775,  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Cambridge  was  occupied  by  the 
provincial  troops,  and  before  the  barracks  were  built  their  quarters  were 
in  the  church,  the  colleges  and  other  buildings.  At  this  time  the  window 
weights  and  the  organ  pipes  were  taken  by  the  soldiers  and  molded  into 
bullets,  which,  on  June  17,  were  a  part  of  the  ammunition  used  at  Bunker's 
•Hill.  On  the  last  Sunday  of  the  year  1775,  services  were  held  in  this 
church  by  Col.  William  Palfrey,  and  were  attended  by  General  \Vash:ng- 


325 


toil  and  wife,  Mrs.  Custis  and  others.  Whether  there  were  enough  pipes 
left  in  the  organ  to  allow  of  its  use  on  that  day,  we  are  not  informed.  It 
was  repaired  in  1790,  and  did  good  ser\'ice  until  1844,  when  it  was 
removed. and  a  new  organ  put  in  its  place." 

In  1752  an  organ  was  built  by  Thomas  Johnston  for  Christ  chuich, 
Boston.  He  also  built  an  organ  for  the  Episcopal  church  of  Salem,  Mass., 
a  portion  of  which,  now  in  possession  of  Hook  &  Hastings,  shows  that 
it  had  but  one  manual  and  six  stops.  On  the  name  boara  is  an  inscrip- 
tion in  German  text,  in  ivorj^  as  follows:  "Thomas  Johnston,  fecit, 
Boston,  Nov.  Anglorum,  1754."  Johnston  died  about  1768,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded in  organ  building  by  Dr.  Josiah  Leavitt,  previously  a  practicing 
phj-sician,  who  was  for  a  number  of  j-ears  engaged  in  the  busmess.  The 
next  organ  builder  was  Henry  Pratt,  of  Winchaster,  N.  H.,  who  d.ed  in 
1849,  and  who  in  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  constructed  upwards 
of  fift}-  instruments,  including  small  church  organs  and  chamber  organs. 
The  first  important  organ  builder  of  America  was  William  M.  Goodrich, 
born  at  Templeton,  Mass.,  1777.  He  was  a  self-taught  and  exceedingly 
ingenious  mechanic,  a  otudent  of  general  knowledge,  a  diligent  investi- 
gator, with  a  correct  musical  ear  and  considerable  proficiency  in  music.  He 
united  these  faculties  in  his  devotion  to  organ  building  with  such  success 
that  during  the  time  he  continued  in  business,  from  1805  to  1833,  but 
three  foreign  organs  were  introduced  into  Boston,  while  his  instruments 
became  known  throughout  the  whole  of  the  United  States.  His 
brother,  Ebenezer  Goodrich,  also  entered  the  manufacture  of  organs 
shortl}'  afterward.  About  1807,  Thomas  Appleton,  an  emploj-e  of 
William  Goodrich,  entered  into  partnership  with  Alpheus  Babcock,  a 
pianoforte  maker,  the  firm  being  Hayts,  Babcock  &  Appleton,  manu- 
facturing both  classes  of  instruments.  This  firm  was  dissolved  in 
1840,  Appleton  carr3'ing  on  organ  building  with  Ebenezer  Goodrich, 
and  afterward  Corri,  as  voicer  and  tuner.  Later  he  manufactured 
organs  in  company  with  Mr.  Warren  (father  of  Samuel  P.  Warren,  the 
organist  and  composer),  the  latter  subsequently  removing  to  Montreal, 
Can.,  where  he  carried  on  the  business.  In  1827  Elias  and  George  G. 
Hook  commenced  the  business  of  organ  building  in  Salem,  the  former 
having  been  an  apprentice  of  W.  M.  Goodrich.  They  removed  to  Boston 
in  1832,  and  became  for  many  years  the  most  famous  and  successful  organ 
builders  in  America.  They  built  155  organs  up  to  1855,  at  which  time 
F.  H.  Hastings  was  engaged  with  them,  becoming  a  partner  in  1865,  and 
now  carrying  on  the  business  under  the  name  of  Hook  &  Hastings. 
George  G.  Hook  died  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  and  his  brother 
Elias  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six. 

326 


The  first  piano  ever  manufactured  in  America  was  constructed  by 
Benjamin  Crehorne,  of  Milton,  Mass.,  in  1803.  Gen.  H.  K.  Oliver,  a 
Boston  musical  veteran,  born  in  1780,  and  a  singing  boy  in  the  Park 
street  church  in  1810-14,  says,  in  his  reminiscences:  "There  was  no 
organ  at  Park  street,  the  accompaniment  of  the  singing  being  given  by 
a  flute,  a  bassoon  and  a  violoncello.  At  that  remote  date  verj-  few  musical 
instruments  of  any  sort  were  to  be  found  in  private  houses.  In  the  entire 
population  of  Boston,  then  some  six  thousand,  not  fifty  pianofortes  could 
be  found." 

In  1820  Jonas  Chickering  was  associated  with  James  Stewart  in 
piano  making  in  Boston.  In  1823  the  house  of  Chickering,  now  world- 
famed,  was  founded.  Conrad  Meyer  had  established  a  piano  factory  at 
Philadelphia  prior  to  1830,  and  the  business  of  manufacture  soon  became 
general.  Piano  construction  is  the  one  department  of  musical  achieve- 
ment in  which  American  invention,  enterprise  and  genius  has  out-dis- 
tanced all  old-world  effort,  and  the  details  of  its  advancement  maj-  be  best 
gathered  from  the  history  of  the  leading  piano  manufacturing  establish- 
ments, which  is  given  hereafter.  Of  these  important  institutions,  we 
commence  with  a  sketch  of  the  career  and  work  of  the  pioneer  house  of 
Chickering,  founded,  as  above  mentioned,  by  Jonas  Chickering,  of  Boston, 
who  was  among  the  earliest  to  apply  to  the  art  of  construction  of  the  piano- 
forte that  genius  of  invention  which  has  long  since  become  recognized  as 
a  distinguishing  characteristic  of  our  people,  and  whose  improvements 
have  been  of  so  important  and  radical  a  nature  as  to  distincth'  mark 
periods  in  the  history  of  the  evolution  of  the  capabilities  of  this  instrument. 

Jonas  Chickering. 

Jonas  Chickering  was  born  in  New  Ipswich,  a  New  Hampshire 
village,  in  April,  1798,  his  father  being  a  farmer  and  also  the  village 
blacksmith.  Here  he  received  the  plain  but  thorough  common  school 
education  of  the  day,  and  at  seventeen  became  apprenticed  to  the 
cabinet  maker  of  the  town.  There  was  but  one  piano  in  the  communitj^ 
and  one  maiden  only  who  could  make  it  eloquent  with  the  simple 
music  of  the  da}',  but  the  young  Chickering  had  a  soul  attuned  by  nature 
to  the  beauties  of  harmony,  and  he  became  a  constant  worshiper  at  this 
humble  altar  of  Euterpe.  Hence,  when  the  instrument  got  out  of  order, 
it  \Yas  young  Jonas  Chickering,  noted  for  his  ingenuity,  who  was  called 
upon  to  see  if  he  could  set  it  right,  which,  after  much  experimenting,  he 
succeeded  in  doing.  From  this  arose  his  first  interest  in  piano  construc- 
tion, which  afterward  found  fruition  in  the  most  important  results. 
About  1820  Mr.  Chickering  was  associated  with  James  Stewart,  a  Scotch- 

327 


man,  in  conjunction  with  whom  the  first  important  impetus  was  given  to 
piano  making  in  America,  where  hitherto  this  industry  had  been  carried 
on  on  the  smallest  scale  and  in  the  most  desultory  manne.  Two  years 
later,  however,  Stewart  returned  to  England,  where  he  subsequently 
became  well  known  through  connection  with  the  house  of  CoUard  & 
Collard.  In  the  year  1823  the  house  of  the  Chickerings  was  founded, 
and  under  the  management  of  Mr.  Jonas  Chickering  grew  rapidly  in  the 
extent  of  its  business,  as  well  as  in  the  excellence  and  popularity  of 
its  instruments.  In  the  same  year  (1823)  Mr.  Chickering  constructed  the 
first  upright  piano  made  in  America,  (this  instrument,  which  to-day 
possesses  an  archaeological  interest,  being  in  the  factory  of  the  house 
at  Boston),  though  it  was  not  till  1830  that  it  can  be  said  the  manufacture 
of  uprights  was  begun  by  him.  About  1831,  William  Allen,  a  j'oung 
Scotch  tuner  in  employ  of  Stoddart,  of  London,  patented  a  cast-iron  frame 
combining  string  plate,  tension  bars  and  wrest  plank  all  in  one  casting. 
Previously  to  this,  in  1825,  this  invention  had  been  anticipated  by 
Alpheus  Babcock,  of  Boston,  U.  S.,  who  patented  in  that  year  a  partial 
cast-iron  frame  for  a  square  piano.  Neither  of  these  inventions  proved 
acceptable,  through  inherent  defects,  and  the  compound  wood  and  iron 
construction  continued  to  be  preferred,  both  in  England  and  America, 
mainly  on  account  of  a  prevailing  belief  that  it  was  beneficial  to  tone.  In 
1837  Jonas  Chickering  was  the  first  to  give  practical  value  to  the  new 
invention  by  perfecting  its  construction  in  the  first  grand  piano  with 
a  full  iron  frame  all  in  one  casting,  ever  manufactured  in  the  world,  and 
which  formed  the  foundation  of  the  reputation  which  the  American  grand 
piano  has  since  achieved  throughout  the  world.  In  1843  he  patented  a 
most  important  improvement,  by  incorporating  in  the  casting  the  pin  socket 
rail,  bridge  and  damper,  the  strings  passing  through  orifices  drilled  in 
an  iron  flange,  which  gave  them  a  finer  upward  bearing,  and  also  added 
strength  to  the  frame.  These  instruments  were  exhibited  at  the  great 
World's  Fair  in  London  in  1851,  and  attracted  profound  attention.  In 
1856  this  feature  was  supplemented  by  a  further  improvement,  the  casting 
of  a  solid  iron  flange  on  the  under  side  of  the  cast-iron  frame,  running 
parallel  with  the  wrest  plank,  into  which  the  ' '  agrafes ' '  are  screwed. 
Other  improvements  were  also  embodied,  giving  greater  stifihess  to  the 
head  block  and  strength  to  the  instrument,  as  well  as  additional  power  of 
standing  in  tune.  The  immense  expansion  of  the  capabilities  of  the 
grand  piano  effected  by  these  and  minor  inventions  was  recognized  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  of  1867  by  the  award  of  the  highest  honor,  the  Imperial 
Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  as  well  as  one  of  the  first  gold  medals.  In  1845 
Jonas  Chickering,  in  connection  with  the  entire  iron  frame,  which  he  had 

328 


329 


brought  to  practical  perfection,  introduced  in  the  square  piano  the  circular 
scale,  by  means  of  which  the  overstringing  of  square  pianos  was  rendered 
practicable.  This  was  left  unpatented,  and  its  general  adoption  has  con- 
tributed powerfully  to  those  distinguishing  qualities  which  give  Ameri- 
can square  pianos  their  superiority  over  all  others  —  their  power,  depth 
and  beauty  of  tone.  In  1849  Mr.  Chickering  adopted  the  upright  piano 
as  one  of  his  popular  styles,  and  in  order  to  overcome  the  difficulties  aris- 
ing from  climatic  influences,  which  so  seriously  impaired  the  durability 
and  power  of  staying  in  tune  of  European  makes,  he  invented  and  applied 
the  overstrung  bass  in  connection  with  the  full  iron  frame,  thus  revolu- 
tionizing the  system  of  manufacture  of  this  instrument,  and  furnishing  a 
model  for  all  subsequent  constructive  efforts.  In  1852  the  factor}'  was 
burned,  and  in  the  same  year  Mr.  Chickering  laid  the  foundation  stone  of 
the  present  vast  establishment,  Tremont  street,  Boston,  but  did  not  live 
to  see  it  completed.  Mr.  Chickering  died  in  December,  1853.  Aside 
from  his  inestimable  services  to  the  cause  of  music  in  the  development  of 
the  piano,  he  was  a  citizen  of  high  moral  worth,  of  unusual  intelligence 
and  much  public  spirit.  His  personal  qualities  secured  him  a  deserved 
popularity,  which  was  well  exemplified  in  a  toast  once  ofiered  in  his 
honor — "Jonas  Chickering  —  the  grand,  square  and  upright."  The 
house  of  Chickering  &  Sons  was  thereafter  conducted  b}-  the  three  sons, 
Gen.  Thos.  E.  Chickering,  Charles  F.  Chickering  and  George  H.  Chick- 
ering, and  so  continued  till  the  death  of  Gen.  Chickering  on  Dec.  14, 
1871,  since  which  time  the  other  members  of  the  family  named  have  been, 
as  they  still  are,  at  the  head  of  the  business.  In  addition  to  minor  improve- 
ments of  detail,  the  most  important  change  effected  since  the  death  of 
Jonas  Chickering  was  the  invention  in  1877  bj'  Charles  F.  Chickering 
of  the  metallic  bar,  by  means  of  which  a  great  gain  was  effected  in  the 
quality  of  tone,  both  in  respect  to  richness  and  volume.  American  mu- 
sical effort  certainly  owes  much  to  the  enterprise  and  the  inventive  genius 
of  the  house  of  Chickering. 

It  might  be  added  here,  that  musical  life  in  America  owes  a 
debt  of  gratitude  to  Jonas  Chickering  and  to  his  sons  and  successors 
on  other  and  perhaps  higher  grounds,  so  far  as  the  development  of 
the  art  has  been  concerned.  Earh'  in  life  the  founder  of  this  house 
became  a  liberal  and  earnest  patron  of  ever\'  movement  to  foster  and 
encourage  the  progress  of  the  art  in  America.  For  manj-  j-ears  the  piano 
rooms  of  the  house  were  the  headquarters  of  every  progressive  movement. 
Foreign  artists  and  native  talent  alike  made  their  introduction  to  the 
musical  public  through  his  friendly  offices,  and  his  sj'mpathj-,  liberality 
and  enthusiasm  in  the  cause  of  music  never  failed.      He  was  a  genuine 

330 


lover  of  the  art,  and  the  interest  and  pride  which  he  took  in  its  develop- 
ment in  his  native  land  were  spontaneous  and  unselfish. 

The  brilliant  development  of  American  piano  making,  with  its  artis- 
tic result  in  the  way  of  singing  musical  tone,  and  the  princely  liberality 
of  dealing  with  artists  and  the  public  which  the  noble  Jonas  Chickering 
made  a  characteristic  of  the  American  trade,  have  been  taken  up  in  the 
same  spirit,  and,  if  possible,  carried  still  further  by  their  more  recent 
competitors,  the  world-famous  house  of  Steinwav  &  Sons. 

Steinway  &  Sons. 

The  story  of  the  house  of  Steinway  &  Sons  reads  like  a  romance. 
It  is  now  only  about  forty  years  since  a  German  mechanic  and  three 
sons  landed  in  New  York,  with  a  small  capital  of  hardly  earned  German 
money.  In  order  to  acquire  the  American  waj^s,  they  took  work  for  two 
years  with  three  different  American  houses  of  piano  makers.  At  the  end 
of  the  time  they  set  up  for  themselves  in  an  inexpensive  house  in  a  back 
street.  They  worked  along  in  the  honest  German  way,  making  about 
one  piano  a  month,  then  one  a  week,  as  business  brightened.  At  length 
there  came  an  important  fair  of  the  American  Institute,  at  the  Crystal 
Palace,  in  1855,  where  there  was  a  large  exhibition  of  musical  instru- 
ments, with  prizes  to  the  best,  and  judges  well  known  for  eminence  and 
fitness.  When  the  fair  was  in  operation  and  the  judges  of  pianos  were 
ready  to  do  their  work,  the  chairman,  Mr.  William  Mason,  suggested 
that  as  they  were  all  good  musicians,  each  having  his  own  favorite 
among  the  leading  builders,  they  should  make  this  test  a  perfectly  fair 
one,  for  their  own  satisfaction.  So  they  all  agreed,  and  having  the  name 
boards  removed  (the  instruments  being  all  square  pianos)  and  the  room 
partly  darkened,  in  order  that  styles  of  cases  might  not  affect  the  judg- 
ment of  the  investigators,  each  man  went  through  the  list,  marking  for 
first,  second  and  third  premiums.  The  poorest  were  thrown  out  without 
difficulty,  and  there  were  finally  about  a  dozen  selected  among  which  the 
prizes  must  be  distributed.  The  judges  tested  carefully,  and  at  length  all 
agreed  in  awarding  the  three  prizes  to  certain  instruments.  When  the 
name  boards  were  brought,  it  was  found  that  all  three  of  these  pianos 
were  made  by  a  firm  of  which  no  one  of  the  judges  had  ever  heard, 
Steinway  &  Sons.  The  best  of  the  three  was  awarded  the  first  premium, 
and  two  other  pianos  were  taken  for  the  second  and  third  premiums,  and 
the  award  was  closed.  The  next  day  Mason  started  out  to  discover  who 
Steinway  &  Sons  were.  He  found  them  in  their  humble  place  of  work, 
•  and  asked  whether  they  made  grand  pianos.  It  turned  out  that  they  had 
their  first  one  nearly  done.     The  next  week  they  asked  him  to  examine  it. 

331 


He  did  so,  and  said  that  from  that  time  on  he  should  play  a  Steinway 
piano,  until  some  one  made  a  better,  which  it  would  seem  has  not  yet 
happened,  for  his  lessons  are  still  given  at  Steinway  hall.  Thus  this 
remarkable  firm  stepped  at  once  to  a  leading  rank,  and  they  have  held  it 
ever  since.  One  improvement  after  another  has  been  made  by  them,  all 
good  to  advertise,  but  no  one  of  them  or  all  of  them  taking  the  place  of 
the  true  secret  of  the  uniform  excellence  of  their  work,  which  is,  extreme 
care  in  construction,  and  the  use  of  the  very  best  material. 

The  firm  of  Steinway  &  Sons  is  entitled  to  the  honor  of  being  the 
leading  firm  of  artistic  piano  makers  in  the  whole  world,  their  best  instru- 
ments surpassing  those  of  any  European  maker,  as  artists  universally  admit. 
Under  their  administration  the  upright  piano  has  been  developed  to  its 
present  solidity  and  breadth  of  tone,  so  that  it  has  almost  the  power  and 
tone  quality  of  a  grand,  and  has  entirely  superseded  the  square  piano, 
which  onl)'  twenty  j^ears  ago  was  practically  the  sole  piano  sold.  While 
the  Steinways  did  not  make  the  first  upright  piano  made  in  America,  they 
certainly  did  make  the  first  upright  piano  of  satisfactorj'  tone  quality.  It 
is  true  that  their  first  inventions  in  this  line  were  long  ago  given  up  as 
worthless.  But  something  better  has  alwaj-s  been  forthcoming,  and  their 
pianos  still  stand  in  the  front  rank,  in  spite  of  the  earnest  eflForts  of  all  the 
leading  builders  to  surpass  them.  With  them  in  point  of  artistic  tone- 
quality  must  be  reckoned  the  pianos  of  three  houses,  Chickering,  Decker, 
and  Mason  &  Hamlin.  Each  of  these  is  made  as  well  as  the  workmen 
are  able,  and  of  none  but  the  best  materials.  Quality  is  the  ke}-  note  in 
all  of  their  manufactories. 

Nor  is  it  proper  to  ignore  those  who  are  manufacturing  popular 
pianos,  by  which  is  meant  pianos  of  good  wearing  qualities,  but  less 
expensive.  There  are  a  dozen  makers  of  pianos  of  this  class  who  have 
made  themselves  rich,  and  furnished  instruments  of  rnusic  to  millions — 
instruments  which  if  something  short  of  those  of  the  great  makers  already 
mentioned,  are  nevertheless  much  better  than  those  of  the  Chickerings 
and  Steinways  themselves,  so  recently  as  i860,  so  rapidl}'  has  the  world 
moved  along  this  line.  At  the  present  time  the  extent  of  the  piano  trade 
of  the  United  States  is  believed  to  reach  substantially  an  aggregate  of 
eighty-five  thousand  instruments  annually. 

The  occasion  for  national  pride  in  this  part  of  the  record  is  found  in 
the  fact  that  America  has  not  only  equaled  Europe  in  the  artistic  part  of 
this  business,  but  so  far  surpassed  her  that  American  pianos  are  univer- 
salh'  admitted  to  be  the  best  in  the  world,  and  only  their  expense  keeps 
them  out  of  European  markets. 

A  \&xy  important  improvement  in  piano  making  has  been  discovered 

352 


K 


a; 


7, 


u 


and  patented  by  two  different  inventors  within  the  past  ten  years.  It  is 
the  method  of  stringing  and  tuning.  All  the  pianofortes  before  the  public, 
except  the  work  of  one  or  two  firms,  are  strung  in  the  same  way,  the  wire 
being  wound  around  a  tuning  pin  which  simply  sticks  in  the  wood  of 
the  wrest  plank,  being  held  from  slipping  by  friction  alone,  the  same  as  a 
tuning  pin  of  a  violin.  The  B.  F.  Baker  piano  and  the  Mason  &  Hamlin 
piano  are  strung  upon  a  different  principle,  the  tuning  pin  being  what  is 
called  a  "set  .screw,"  passing  through  a  nut  or  collar,  on  the  steel  plate 
above  where  the  ' '  wrest  plank  ' '  would  be.  In  this  method  of  tuning  the 
strings  cannot  slacken  except  by  stretching,  it  being  absolutely  impossible 
for  the  pin  to  slip.  The  Mason  &  Hamlin  method  has  certain  advantages 
over  the  other,  and  the  pianofortes  turned  out  by  the  house  are  of  a  highly 
musical  tone  quality,  while  the  tenacity  of  tune  under  hard  usage  is  simply 
incredible.  It  appears  quite  certain  that  this  improvement  or  something 
similar  must  eventually,  and  that  verj^  soon,  be  adopted  by  all  piano 
makers. 

Organ  Building. 
In  the  line  of  organ  building  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  this  coun- 
try would  especially  distinguish  itself  The  organ  is  one  of  the  oldest 
instruments  and  the  critical  part  of  its  manufacture,  that  upon  which  its 
tone  depends  (voicing  the  pipes),  is  still  done  empiricallj',  one  pipe  at  a 
time,  the  ear  of  the  voicer  being  the  sole  guide.  .  The  early  organs  built  in 
this  countr}^  were  rude  affairs,  the  actions  crude  and  the  voicing,  appren- 
tice work.  Moreover,  most  of  them  were  ordered  by  churches  lacking 
means  sufficient  to  paj^  for  as  much  organ  as  thej^  would  have  liked  to 
have.  Hence  a  number  of  half  stops  and  general  insufficiency  of  appoint- 
ment. The  gradual  improvement  in  this  respect,  after  the  erection  of  the 
great  organ  in  Boston  Music  Hall,  has  been  touched  upon  in  an  earlier 
chapter,  and  need  not  here  be  repeated.  The  first  builders  to  feel  the  new 
impulse  were  the  Hooks,  both  from  their  chagrin  at  having  been  passed 
over  when  the  order  was  placed  abroad,  and  because  they  lived  in  Boston, 
where,  through  the  stratagem  of  employing  the  workman  sent  over  by 
Walcker  &  Son  to  keep  the  Music  Hall  organ  in  order,  they  obtained  early 
access  to  the  interior  of  the  instrument,  and  were  able  to  duplicate  its 
scales  or  proportions  of  pipes.  The  German  action  was  what  is  known  as 
the  poppet  valve  action,  which  no  American  would  care  to  duplicate.  In 
tone  quality  the  Hooks  soon  surpassed  their  German  masters,  except  in 
the  string  color,  where  the  high  price  of  metal  in  America  rendered  the 
German  method  of  making  these  pipes  of  solid  tin  too  expensive.  In  the 
point  of  dispensing  with  half  stops  and  a  fuller  appointment  of  eight-foot 
tone,  another  firm  was  perhaps  as  early  as  they  in  the  field.     Johnson  & 

334 


Son,  of  Westfield,  Mass.,  have  made  a  great  record  as  organ  builders, 
their  works  erected  prior  to  the  beginning  of  this  year  numbering  727. 
The  head  of  this  house  is 

William  A.  Johnson. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  self  made  man.  He  was  originally  a  bricklayer, 
who  made  a  small  organ  for  his  own  satisfaction,  in  his  unemployed  time 
in  the  winter.  It  was  what  was  called  a  parlor  organ,  of  four  stops,  blown 
by  the  feet.  This  he  sold  remuneratively,  and  the  following  winter  he 
made  another.  This  found  ready  market,  ajid  another  was  wanted  before 
the  next  season's  idleness  came  around.  Thus  it  took  but  a  short  time 
before  the  enterprising  j-oung  bricklayer  found  him.self  a  full}'  employed 
organ  builder.  The  first  organ  inside  which  he  ever  saw,  was  one  of 
Hook's.  Mr.  Johnson's  record  is  an  extremely  honorable  one.  He  is 
known  in  every  part  of  the  countr}-.  Often  he  is  abrupt  with  a  commit- 
tee, breaks  off  a  negotiation  when  he  thinks  he  has  conceded  enough,  but 
what  he  agrees  to,  that  he  does,  whether  he  makes  or  loses  by  it.  At  the 
present  time  he  has  one  of  the  largest  organ  factories  in  the  world,  and  his 
engagements  are  made  for  about  a  year  ahead.  Mr.  Johnson's  name  has 
not  been  associated  with  any  one  particular  improvement  in  organ  build- 
ing, although  he  has  made  many.  His  principal  praise  is  for  a  high  aver- 
age of  work,  and  a  constant  advance  in  methods  and  quality  of  results. 
His  son,  Wm.  H.  Johnson,  who  was  born  in  1837,  has  been  associated 
with  him  for  man}-  years.     He  is  one  of  the  best  voicers  in  the  country. 

HiLBouRXE  L.  Roosevelt. 

There  is  another  American  firm  which  has  distinguished  itself  in  this 
department  to  a  degree  more  readily  acknowledged  abroad  than  here.  We 
refer  to  the  house  of  Hilbourne  L.  Roosevelt.  Mr.  Roosevelt  was  a 
wealthy  young  New  Yorker,  who  after  graduating  from  college  looked 
about  for  a  business.  He  followed  his  own  taste,  and  entered  the  career 
of  organ  builder.  Having  means,  it  was  easy  to  surround  himself  with 
good  workmen  and  proper  appliances,  and  he  gave  rein  to  his  imagina- 
tion. The  result  was  a  number  of  extraordinar}-  improvements,  or  at 
least  novelties,  in  organ  building,  both  mechanical  and  tonal.  No  other 
builder  in  the  world  has  gone  .so  far  as  he  has  in  making  the  whole  organ 
capable  of  crescendo  and  diminuendo  of  volume  of  tone.  This  he  accom- 
plishes by  means  of  several  swells.  Not  alone  the  swell  organ  proper  is 
inclosed  in  a  box  with  swell  blinds  adapted  for  opening  to  let  out  more  tone, 
.  or  shutting  to  .suppress  the  volume,  but  the  choir  and  thesoloorgan,  and  part 
of  the  great  organ,  are  also  inclosed  in  swell  lioxes.      In  his  ordinar}'  two- 

335 


manual  organ,  for  church  use,  he  incloses  all  the  pipes  of  both  manuals 
in  a  swell  box,  ex:ept  the  diapasons  of  the  great.  This  great  innovation 
is  biiterly  inveighed  against  by  many  builders,  but  the  advantages  of  it 
are  so  great  upon  the  side  of  expression  that  it  is  more  likely  to  b;come 
general  than  to  be  given  up.  Mr.  Roosevelt  made  great  improvements  in 
voicing,  in  certain  stops  surpassing  previous  efforts  of  American  and 
foreign  builders  alike. 

In  the  mechanical  means  of  controlling  the  organ,  however,  the  Roose- 
velt inventions  are  more  remarkable  still.  There  is  the  Roosevelt  wind  chest, 
which  costs  more  than  twice  as  much  as  the  ordinary  one,  but  the  result 
is  a  quickness  of  speech  far  in  advance  of  ordinary  instruments,  and  the 
touch  of  the  largest  instrument  is  as  light  as  that  of  an  ordinary  church 
organ.  Without  the  Roosevelt  wind  chest,  this  can  onlj'  be  accomplished 
by  electricity,  or  the  pneumatic  lever,  which  latter  has  the  disadvantage 
of  retarding  the  speech.  In  his  large  organs,  such  as  that  in  the  Garden 
City  Cathedral  and  the  new  one  in  the  Chicago  Auditorium  (which  is  the 
most  complete  concert  organ  in  the  world)  all  the  pallets  are  moved  by 
the  intervention  of  electricitj'.  By  this  system,  distance  is  annihilated, 
and  there  is  no  relative  position  of  the  actual  pipes  and  the  player  which  can 
materially  affect  the  organ  builder's  convenience  or  the  expense  of  the 
instrument.  In  this  way  the  echo  organ  and  the  very  loud  solo  stops  can 
be  placed  above  the  ceiling,  without  retarding  the  speech,  or  adding  to  the 
weight  of  touch.  Another  improvement,  and  a  very  great  one,  is  the  Roose- 
velt system  of  composition  knobs,  b^'  which  an^^  combination  of  stops  desired 
bj-  the  organist  can  be  adjusted  and  attached  to  the  piston  in  a  few  seconds, 
so  that  the  entire  combination  can  be  thrown  on  or  off  when  wanted  by 
a  single  pressure  of  the  finger  upon  a  knob  above  the  keys.  With  a 
dozen  of  these  adjustable  knobs,  the  largest  organ  is  vastly  more  manage- 
able than  a  small  one  in  the  olden  time. 

Reed  Organs. 

In  no  department  of  invention  has  the  American  genius  taken  the 
lead  more  completely  than  in  what  are  now  known  as  reed  organs.  In 
fact  their  extreme  popularity  has  given  rise  to  that  barbarism,  so  offensive  to 
a  musician,  the  term  "pipe  organ"  where  simply  "organ"  would  leave 
unaccustomed  hearers  to  suppose  that  a  reed  instrument  might  be 
intended.  The  American  reed  organ  is  so  small,  so  capacious,  and  so 
inexpensive  in  many  of  its  varieties,  that  it  is  found  in  thousands  of  cot- 
tages and  simple  homes,  where  a  larger  and  more  costly  instrument  could 
not  be  afforded.  Their  popularity  may  be  estimated  by  the  fact  that 
more  than  eighty  thousand  j'early  are  manufactured  and  sold,  and  it  may 

336 


HiLBORNE  L.  Roosevelt. 


337 


be  added,  that  at  present  about  forty  thousand  of  them  are  made  in  Chi- 
cago. 

The  American  reed  organ  rests  essentially  upon  two  radical  discov- 
eries. The  first  is  that  of  the  exhaust  bellows,  as  distinguished  from  the 
European  bellows,  which  force  air  outward  through  the  reeds.  The 
exhaust  bellows  were  invented,  it  is  believed,  by  Mr.  Jeremiah  Carhart, 
who  afterward  became  the  head  of  the  manufacturing  house  of  Carhart 
&  Co.,  manufacturers  of  melodeons.  The  reed  instruments  constructed 
upon  this  system  were  called  ' '  melodeons. ' '  They  had  small  power,  and 
were  not  capable  of  much  variety  of  intensity.  The  larger  ones  had  two 
sets  of  reeds,  but  most  of  those  sold  had  only  one.  The  next  great 
advance  was  due  to  the  accidental  discovery  of  the  late  Emmons  Hamlin, 
in  1848,  that  if  the  tongue  of  a  reed  were  slightly  bent,  or  twisted,  its 
tone  quality  was  changed.  The  proper  method  of  effecting  changes  of 
this  kind,  and  the  kind  of  tone  modification  effected  by  each  particular 
kind  of  twist,  were  the  subject  of  long-continued  investigation,  leading  at 
length  to  the  art  of  voicing  reeds  as  we  now  have  it  in  such  master  works 
of  this  kind  as  the  Liszt  and  orchestral  organs  of  Mason  &  Hamlin — instru- 
ments which  are  not  surpassed  in  the  world.  The  early  instruments  manu- 
factured under  Mr.  Hamlin's  system  were  called  "organ-harmoniums," 
but,  in  1 86 1,  Mason  &  Hamlin  discovered  certain  principles  of  increasing 
the  volume  of  tone  by  means  of  resonance  cavities  in  the  case,  thus  impart- 
ing greater  roimdness  of  tone  quality  as  well  as  volume,  and  the  instru- 
ments were  re-christened  under  the  generic  name  of  cabinet  organs.  The 
art  of  voicing  reeds  was  also  made  the  subject  of  experiment  by  Mr.  Riley 
Burdett,  about  the  same  time  as  by  Mr.  Hamlin,  and  claims  have  been 
made  in  his  behalf  as  the  real  inventor.  It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that 
it  ma}'  have  been  discovered  by  both  gentlemen,  working  simultaneously 
and  without  knowledge  of  each  other's  work.  Accidents  of  this  kind  are 
common  in  the  history  of  invention. 

The  two  radical  discoveries  above  mentioned  are  the  foundation  of 
American  organs,  but  a  variety  of  small  improvements  have  been  made 
by  many  inventors,  so  that  the  instrument  in  its  present  form  is  capable 
of  great  musical  expression.  J'he  tone  qualitj^  of  the  best  specimens  is 
singularly  noble  and  musical.  Another  great  advance  made  by  Ameri- 
can manufacturers  of  these  instruments,  is  that  of  systematizing  the  pro- 
cess of  manufacture,  and  producing  greater  uniformity  of  results,  and  at 
a  lessened  expense.  Through  the  operation  of  labor-saving  device?,  the 
instruments  of  this  class  are  turned  out  at  an  expense  scarcely  half  what 
they  would  have  cost  fifty  years  ago.  Another  peculiarity  of  the  present 
situation  corresponds  to  that  of  pianos.     While  there  has  been  one  firm 


which  made  the  leading  improvements,  and  set  the  key  for  the  trade  as  a 
whole,  all  the  firms  are  crowding  close  up  to  them  in  quality  of  workman- 
ship and  artistic  capacity  of  instruments.  The  principal  makers  of  instru- 
ments of  this  class  at  the  present  time  are  Messrs.  Mason  &  Hamlin, 
Estej',  Chicago  Cottage  Organ  Co. ,  etc. 

P.  J.  Healy. 

One  of  the  most  curious  novelties  in  the  musical  instrument  trade  is 
the  manufacture  in  Chicago  of  some  of  the  best  harps  made  in  ihe  world. 
The  American  genius  for  sytematizing  has  been  put  in  operation,  the 
result  being  that  all  like  parts  of  different  instruments  are  made  inter- 
changeable, and  with  uniform  excellence,  whereas  the  European  harps  are 
all  made  by  the  piece,  by  hand.  The  head  of  the  house  which  has  done 
this,  Mr.  P.  J.  Healy,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  self-made  men  in  the 
country.  He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1840.  He  came  to  Boston  at  the 
age  of  ten  and  got  a  situation  as  errand  boj^  in  Reed's  music  store.  He 
went  to  night  school,  learned  reading,  writing  and  bookkeeping,  and 
presently  became  bookkeeper  and  confidential  clerk.  In  1864  he  came  to 
Chicago  with  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Lyon,  and  started  the  house  of  Lyon  & 
Healy.  Prosperity  attended  their  efforts,  although  thej'  were  burned  out 
hree  times.  Mr.  Healy  was  the  financial  head  of  the  concern.  He  was. 
clever  in  surrounding  himself  with  an  able  staff,  and  the  consequence  is 
that  to-day  the  house  of  Lyon  &  Healy  is  the  largest  establishment  of 
general  musical  merchandise  in  the  world.  Mr.  Healy  is  still  not  an  old 
man,  and  his  sons  are  trained  to  carry  on  the  business  when  his  useful- 
ness is  done.  He  is  enterprising,  energetic,  careful  and  clear-headed. 
His  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond. 


340 


One  of  the  most  curious  episodes  in  American  organ  building  is  that 
of  Mr.  Henry  Ward  Poole,  who  about  1850  undertook  to  solve  that 
venerable  problem  of  musical  theory  and  practice,  temperament,  by  doing 
away  with  it  altogether.  Besides  the  credit  of  having  succeeded  measur- 
ably in  this,  he  is  entitled  to  the  further  distinction  of  having  added  the 
true  harmonic  sevenths  to  musical  theory.  The  work  of  Mr.  Poole 
received  scanty  attention  in  American  musical  circles,  but  it  has  excited 
great  interest  in  the  highest  scientific  circles  abroad. 

He  contributed  to  SiWiman's  A mericajt  Journal  of  Science,  about  the 
year  1850,  articles  upon  perfect  intonation;  and,  some  years  later,  articles 
upon  his  enharmonic  keyboard.  Helmholtz  in  his  Sensations  of  Tone, 
qaotes  several  times  from  these  articles,  and  characterizes  an  English 
enharmonic  keyboard  as  having  been  "after  a  plan  invented  by  the 
American.  H.  W.  Poole."  The  translator,  Mr.  Alexander  J.  Ellis,  of  the 
Royal  Society,  devotes  nearly  six  pages  (474-479,  ed.  of  1885)  to  this 
keyboard.  It  appears  that  Poole's  keyboard  was  imitated  in  the  "  inven- 
tion "  ot  Mr.  Collin  Brown,  of  Glasgow,  Scotland,  excepting  that  Brown's 
keyboard  made  no  provision  for  hamonic  sevenths  —  yet  without  them 
there  is  no  perfect  intonation.  Mr.  Poole  is  a  brother  of  Mr.  William  F. 
Poole,  LL.  D.,  of  the  Newberry  library,  Chicago.  His  story  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

Henry  Ward  Poole. 

Mr.  Poole  was  born  Sept.  13,  1825,  at  Salem,  Mass.,  since  (by  the 
changing  town  lines  and  names),  Danvers,  South  Danvers  and  Peabody. 
As  a  boy  he  was  a  constant  reader,  had  a  taste  for  mechanical  invention, 
and  great  facility  for  acquiring  languages  and  the  mathematics.  The 
family  having  removed  to  Worcester,  Mass.,  he  fitted  for  college  at  Lei- 
cester Academ}',  and  entered  Yale  College  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  It  was 
found  at  the  end  of  the  sophomore  j'ear  that  the  curiiculum  and  training 
of  a  college  were  not  framed  for  minds  having  habits  and  proclivities  like 
his.  In  Greek,  Latin  and  the  mathematics  he  could  make  a  fair  recita- 
tion with  very  little  study,  and  hence  he  reveled  in  the  opportunity  he 
now  enjoyed  of  having  all  the  books  he  could  read.  He  would  take  from 
his  .society  library  daily  two  or  more  volumes,  and  exchange  them  on  the 
morrow  for  as  many  more.  The  librarian,  the  late  Henry  Stevens,  since 
of  London,  and  known  to  all  book  collectors  as  one  of  the  most  eminent 
of  bibliographers,  became  alarmed  at  this  exuberant  use  of  the  library, 
fearing  that  it  would  ruin  the  j'outh's  prospects  as  a  scholar,  and  cau- 
"tioned  him  to  read  with  some  moderation.  When  this  counsel  failed  he 
advised   the   division    professor   to   stop    it.     The   process,    however,   of 


devouring  the  library  went  on  ;  but  the  reader's  taste  for  books  of  the 
belles  lettrcs  class  changed  to  a  taste  for  scientific  works,  and  to  a  love  of 
bibliography.  His  memory  was  so  tenacious  that  he  could  retain  and 
repeat  verbatim  the  writings  of  his  favorite  authors.  After  leaving  col- 
lege he  continued  his  scientific  studies  in  the  librar>'  of  the  American 
Antiquarian  Society  at  Worcester. 

Geology  was  one  of  the  subjects  in  which  he  became  interested,  and 
he  obtained  a  position  in  the  geological  survey  of  Pennsylvania,  under 
Prof.  Henry  D.  Rogers.  He  was  stationed  at  Pottsville,  Pa.,  and  was 
employed  in  the  survey  and  cartography  of  the  anthracite  coal  mines  of 
that  vicinit}-.  When  that  survej'  was  completed,  he  remained  for  a  time 
at  Pottsville  in  the  profession  of  mining  engineer.  He  later  held  the 
position  of  assistant  astronomer  in  Dudley  observ'ator}',  Albanj'. 

In  the  construction  of  a  parlor  organ  and  attempting  to  tune  it,  his 
attention  was  drawn  to  the  more  abstruse  questions  relating  to  the  science 
of  music.  As  he  was  an  adept  in  the  use  of  tools,  he  made  the  machinery 
and  case  himself,  but  applied  to  Mr.  Joseph  Alle}',  a  metal-pipe  maker, 
of  Newburyport,  Mass. ,  to  furnish  the  pipes.  When  the  organ  was  com- 
pleted he  undertook  to  put  it  in  tune,  and  here  encountered  the  prob- 
lem and  mystery  of  temperament,  which  he  soon  solved  in  the  popular 
and  superficial  way  from  the  text  books.  With  this  solution  he  was  not 
satisfied.  Why  have  any  temperament  at  all  ?  Why  not  turn  out  "  the 
wolf, ' '  and  have  an  organ  with  perfect  intonation  ?  were  questions  which 
forced  themselves  upon  his  mind,  and  he  resolved  to  answer  them  affirma- 
tivel}',  or  to  know  the  reason  whj'.  The  investigation  required  an  experi- 
mental knowledge  of  the  whole  phenomena  of  sound  and  of  harmonic  rela- 
tions, as  w^ell  as  of  all  the  literature  on  the  subject.  To  this  task  he 
applied  himself,  experimented  with  the  monochord,  with  horns,  and  read 
up  the  literature  of  the  subject.  Having  ascertained  the  sounds  and 
their  mathematical  relations  which  were  needed  to  produce  perfect  intona- 
tion in  the  usual  number  of  keys,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  construc- 
tion of  an  organ  which  would  produce  these  sounds,  and  to  the  con- 
trivance of  mechanism  by  which  the  sound  required  in  each  key  could 
be  readily  controlled  by  the  performer.  He  fixed  upon  the  plan  of  using 
the  common  manual  with  twelve  keys  in  the  octave,  and  devised  mechan- 
ism by  which,  with  one  movement  of  a  pedal,  all  the  pipes  needed  to 
produce  perfect  intonation  in  any  of  the  kej-s  (say  the  key  of  four  flats) 
would  be  instantly  attached  to  the  finger  keys  through  the  whole  key- 
board, so  that  the  fingering  would  be  the  same  as  on  the  common  manual. 
He  assumed  that  all  music,  for  the  time  being,  was  in  some  key,  and  per- 
fect intonation  was  secured  by  pressing  the  pedal  of  that  key,  which  act.- 


►4 


> 


< 


-J 

-4 


ing  upon  an  ingenious  mechanism  called  "selectors,"  did  the  work 
instantlj^  and  effectively.  When  a  modulation  was  made  to  another  key, 
the  i^edal  of  that  key  was  pressed,  which  raised  the  former  pedal,  and 
brought  under  the  player's  control  all  the  pipes  needed  in  the  new  kej-. 
The  organ  was  constructed  at  the  shop  of  Mr.  Alley  at  Newburyport, 
who  was  an  experienced  organ  builder,  and  an  enthusiast  for  perfect 
intonation.  It  was  a  joint  enterprise,  Mr.  Poole  furnishing  the  money, 
and  both  their  personal  services.  The  organ  was  completed  in  the  autumn 
of  1849.  Later  it  was  set  up  in  the  church  of  the  Rev.  James  Freeman 
Clarke,  D.  D.,  in  Indiana  Place,  Boston,  where  it  was  used  in  the  regular 
serx'ice  for  fifteen  years. 

In  January  and  March,  1850,  Mr.  Poole  contributed  two  articles  to 
Silliman's  American  Journal  of  Science  {2(S.  series,  vol.  IX,  pp.  68-83, 
1 19-216)  on  Perfect  Ititonation  in  Music,  in  which  there  is  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  organ  and  of  its  principles.  About  this  time  he  became  inter- 
ested in  Greek  music,  and  read  in  the  original  Greek  with  intense  interest 
the  collection  b}^  Meibomeus  of  the  seven  Greek  writers  on  music,  a  copy 
of  which  he  found  in  Harvard  College  library'.  He  made  also  the 
acquaintance  and  friendship  of  Gen.  T.  Perronet  Thompson,  of  London; 
and  a  delightful  correspondence  was  maintained  between  them  on  musical 
theory  until  the  death  of  the  general,  in  1869.  General  Thompson  sent 
to  Mr.  Poole  his  numerous  writings  on  just  intonation,  including  his 
Instructions  to  My  Daitghter  in  Playing  the  Enharmonic  Guitar,  and  his 
contributions  to  the  Westminster  Revieiv,  of  which  for  manj'  years  he  was 
the  editor. 

In  the  autumn  of  1856,  as  engineer  of  the  Mexican  Pacific  Coal  &  Iron 
Mining  Company,  of  New  York  city,  he  organized  an  expedition  for  the 
exploration  of  Mexico.  The  party  landed  at  Vera  Cruz  and  taking  horses 
and  other  animals  for  transport  service  arrived  in  the  City  of  Mexico  Dec. 
23,  1856.  The  railroad  from  \''era  Cruz  had  not  then  been  constructed.  Hav- 
ing completed  the  outfit,  the  expedition  started  south  through  the  state 
of  Guernero,  in  search  of  iron  and  coal  mines,  and  reached  Acapulco  on 
the  Pacific,  May  25,  1857.  The  route  then  \z.\  northwesterly  along  the 
coast  to  the  mouth  of  the  Zacatula  ri\-er;  then  easterly  along  the  valley  of 
the  river  to  Mescala;  then  northerly  to  the  City  of  Mexico.  The  route 
was  through  a  wild  country  never  visited  b}'  travelers,  and  .seldom  by 
exploring  parties.  Mr.  Poole  took  with  him  a  full  supply  of  instruments 
for  determining  astronomically  geographical  positions,  for  topographical 
reconnoisance,  and  for  mining  exploration.  The  topographical  survey 
and  the  collection  of  materials  for  a  new  map  of  the  country  were  under  his 
special  charge.     Latitude  and  longitude  were  taken  bj"  him  astronomically 

341 


I 


at  every  stopping  place  when  the  weather  would  permit;  and  his  report 
and  maps,  four  in  number,  were  printed  in  New  York  in  1858. 

Mr.  Poole  on  this  expedition  became  so  interested  in  Mexico,  its 
antiquities  and  its  people,  that  he  returned  the  year  after  printing  his 
report,  and  has  since  made  the  City  of  Mexico  his  residence,  except  during 
several  visits  he  has  made  to  the  United  States.  For  several  years  he  was 
professor  in  the  National  College  of  the  Mines,  and  is  now  a  member  of 
several  Mexican  scientific  societies.  He  resides  in  an  old  convent  confis- 
cated by  the  government,  which  he  bought  some  years  ago,  and  interests 
himself  in  collecting  early  Mexican  books,  studying  the  antiquities  of  the 
countr}-,  and  in  general  scientific  pursuits.  On  a  visit  to  the  United 
States  he  prepared  two  articles  on  his  Enharmonic  Keyboard,  which 
2i.-^-^^'^LX&A.\\\\\\&  American  Journal  of  Science  iox  ^\x\y ,  1867,  and  April,  1868, 
(2d  series.  Vol.  XLIV,  p.  i,  and  Vol.  XLV,  p.  289).  He  is  not  and 
never  was,  a  professional  musician;  yet  for  his  own  amusement  and  for 
scientific  experiment  he  plays  with  more  or  less  facility  on  all  sorts  of 
instruments;  but  never  publicly  or  for  the  entertainment  of  others. 

The  theory  of  this  organ  was  that  music  is  always  in  some  one  key, 
and  that  transitions  to  foreign  keys  take  place  across  chords  that  are 
common  to  both  the  old  and  the  new  keys.  The  pedals,  instead  of  being 
arranged  according  to  the  scale,  as  in  organs  generally,  were  progressive 
by  fifths.  At  the  center  of  the  keyboard  was  C,  next  upon  the  right  G, 
D,  A,  etc.  Toward  the  left  from  C,  followed  F,  B  flat,  E  flat,  etc.  The 
pedal  key  itself  did  not  affect  the  adjustment  of  the  selectors.  But  there 
was  a  small  brass  piece  passing  through  the  ke}-,  standing  a  half  inch  or 
more  above  it,  which  being  pressed  operated  the  selectors,  throwing  the 
whole  organ  into  the  key  of  the  modulating  key  pressed.  Hence  it  was 
possible  to  modulate  or  not  as  the  organist  pleased.  ]Mr.  Poole  had  a 
theory  concerning  the  proper  function  of  the  pedals,  which,  he  thought, 
ought  always  to  play  fundamentals  and  never  merely  melodic  passages,  as 
they  continually  do  in  Bach  and  the  German  school  generally,  and  as  the 
double  basses  often  do  in  the  symphonies  of  Beethoven  and  other  good 
masters.  Hence  this  organ  was  not  practicable  for  the  performance  of 
organ  music  usuallj^  regarded  as  -strict,  meaning  by  the  term  organ  music 
with  a  melodic  independent  voice  for  the  pedal  part.  Nor  was  it  valid 
according  to  the  possible  demands  of  musical  theory-  in  another  respect. 
Its  modulations  always  took  place  by  fifths.  To  go  from  C  to  G  is  prac- 
ticable and  easy.  But  modem  music  recognizes  many  modulations  to 
the  major  third  below  or  the  third  above.  These  modulations  could  not 
be  perfectly  made  upon  this  instrument,  nor  would  it  be  possible  to  con- 
struct one  upon  which  they  could  be  made  without  extremely  numerous 


additions  to  the  number  of  pipes.  Our  existing  musical  theorj-  attempts 
to  derive  all  consonances  from  fifths;  but  it  is  impossible  to  derive  thirds 
from  fifths.  Hence  a  major  third  below  any  given  kej-  note  is  an  entirely 
different  sound  to  apparently  the  same  note  enharmonically  arrived  at  in 
a  circle  of  fifths.  Therefore  the  verdict  must  be  that  Mr.  Poole  did  not 
fully  succeed  in  solving  the  problem  of  perfect  intonation,  but  only  that  part 
of  it  which  depends  upon  fifth  relations. 

The  effect  of  the  organ,  however,  was  extremely  delightful.  The 
editor  of  the  present  work  had  the  opportunity  of  playing  upon  it 
mau}^  times,  while  it  stood  in  the  factory  at  Newburyport  and  found  it 
beautiful.  Organists  will  understand  the  value  of  the  commendation 
when  it  is  stated  that  the  open  diapason  and  trumpet  together  made  a  very 
rich  and  harmonious  effect  in  the  full  chord  of  the  ninth.  This  chord 
with  those  two  stops  alone  would  be  utterly  unbearable  upon  an  ordinary 
organ,  unless  concealed  by  the  ample  vibrations  of  the  deep  pedal  notes. 
Mr.  A.  U.  Hayter,  organist  at  King's  chapel,  objected  to  it  upon  the 
ground  that  it  obliged  him  to  be  too  careful.  This,  however,  counts 
for  nothing;  for  it  is  easj^  to  .see  that  an  organist  might  be  so  edu- 
cated and  trained  from  childhood  as  to  be  able  to  know  by  intuition  what 
key  he  had  modulated  into;  and  if  always  accustomed  to  an  instrument  of 
this  kind,  he  would  be  able  to  follow  his  playing  with  the  proper  touches 
of  the  modulating  pedals,  and  accordingly  render  everything  in  perfect 
tune.  This  experiment  of  Mr.  Poole's  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  that 
has  been  tried  an^-where  in  the  world,  and  the  present  work  would  have 
been  incomplete  without  an  account  of  it.  The  organ  is  now  (1889)  packed 
away  somewhere  in  Boston,  but  it  is  greatly  be  wished,  in  the  interests  of 
science  and  of  historj',  that  it  could  bo  re-erected  in  some  accessible  place, 
it  would  be  available  for  scientific  uses. 


346 


J 


VIOLIN  MAKING. 


fiF^-  NE  of  the  most  remarkable  things  iu  the  mechanics  of  music 
"^J  Q/  \  within  the  past  fifty  years  is  the  recover}-  of  the  art  of  viohn 
c)  .^  making,  according  to  the  principles  of  that  greatest  of  masters  of 
lij'^'  the  art,  Anthony  Stradivarius.     Several  of  his  violins  were  taken 


apart  and  the  wood  analyzed,  as  to  its  tone-producing  proper- 
ties. It  was  found  that  he  had  a  regular  sj'stem,  according  to 
which  the  tonal  powers  of  the  different  kinds  of  wood  employed  in  the 
same  instrument  stood  in  a  certain  relation  to  each  other.  When  these 
points  had  been  settled,  and  his  location  and  dimensions  of  the  "/ 
holes ' '  had  been  found  to  yield  better  results  than  any  other  prac- 
ticable arrangement  of  them,  there  was  still  the  varnish,  w^hich  for 
some  time  eluded  all  attempts  to  reproduce.  This  was  at  length  re- 
invented, and  to-daj'  there  are  several  American  violin  makers  who  hold 
a  rank  scarcely  below  that  of  the  celebrated  Italian  masters  of  the  art. 
First  upon  the  list  should  come  the  name  of 

George  Gemunder. 
This  eminent  maker  of  violins  was  born  at  Ingelfingen  in  Wurtem- 
burg"  on  the  13th  of  April,  1816.  His  father  was  a  maker  of  bow  instru- 
ments, and  in  his  earliest  youth  the  subject  of  this  sketch  became  familiar 
with  the  principles  of  the  art  of  violin  making.  Nevertheless,  it  was 
decided  to  make  a  schoolmaster  of  the  lad,  and  he  was  educated  accord- 
ingly. The  plan  was  not  in  accordance  with  his  tastes,  however,  and  he 
preferred  to  devote  himself  to  scientific  and  mechanical  pursuits.  His 
father  died  when  young  George  was  in  his  nineteenth  year,  and  the  young 
man  then  went  to  other  German  cities,  Pesth,  Presburg,  Vienna  and 
Munich.  He  cherished  the  ambition  of  going  to  Paris  and  making  the 
acquaintance  of  the  celebrated  violin  maker,  Vuillaume.  At  the  suggestion 
of  a  friend  he  went  to  Strasburg  with  a  letter  of  introduction  to  an 
instrument  maker  there.  On  arriving,  however,  he  was  astonished  to  find 
that  the  part}'  was  a  manufacturer  of  brass  instruments.  He  at  length 
obtained  an  engagement  with  Vuillaume,  and  went  to  Paris,  where  he 
found  to  his  perturbation  that  Vuillaume  spoke  no  German,  while  he, 
(Gemunder)  wa    ignorant  of  French.     In  this  dilemma  Vuillaume  offered 


him  nominal  wages  should  he  be  content  to  work  for  such  until  he  learned 
the  French  language.  After  he  had  been  with  the  French  manufacturer 
for  some  time,  circumstances  induced  him  to  form  the  project  of  going  to 
America.  When  he  informed  Vuillaume  of  this  plan,  however,  that 
gentleman  would  not  hear  of  it,  declaring  that  he  did  not  wish  Gemunder 
to  leave  liis  employ,  but  particularly  not  to  go  to  America,  where  the  art 
of  violin  making  would  meet,  as  he  said,  with  no  encouragement.  At  this 
Paris  establishment,  George  Gemunder  remained  for  several  years,  making 
and  repairing  violins  for  the  distinguished  artists  and  amateurs  of  the  day. 
In  1847  ^^^  received  an  invitatioii  from  his  two  brothers  residing  in  America 
to  visit  this  country.  Here  he  engaged  with  his  brothers  in  giving 
concerts,  but  the  venture  was  not  lucrative,  and  borrowing  twenty-five 
dollars  as  capital  to  invest  in  business,  he  went  to  Boston  to  engage  in 
violin  making.  Here  he  sent  a  quartette  of  bow  instruments  in  imita- 
tion of  Stradivarious,  also  several  other  violins,  to  the  London  exposition 
in  1 85 1.  His  business  in  Boston  was  not  remunerative,  and  he  moved 
to  New  York,  where  shortly  after  his  arrival  he  was  surprised  to  learn  that 
his  exhibit  in  London  had  been  awarded  the  first  prizes.  In  1852  Gemun- 
der called  upon  Ole  Bull  and  informed  him  that  he  had  left  the  emplo}'  of 
Vuillaume,  at  which  Mr.  Bull  was  astonished,  as  he  could  not  understand 
how  one  could  leave  a  master  of  his  art  such  as  he  knew  Vuillaume  to  be. 
He  said  as  much  to  Gemunder,  and  put  forward  as  a  conclusive  evidence 
of  Vuillaume's  talents  a  violin  which  he  believed  Vuilluame  had  repaired 
for  him.  Gemunder  took  the  violin  and  proved  to  Mr.  Bull  that  he, 
himself,  and  not  the  master  workman,  had  done  the  marvelous  repairing. 
Mr.  Gemunder  has  remained  in  New  York  ever  since,  and  his  violins 
have  won  the  highest  opinions  from  the  most  eminent  virtuosi  of  the  daj'. 
He  has  been  awarded  many  medals  for  his  excellent  work  as  a  violin 
maker,  and  he  is  one  of  the  very  fcw  in  this  line  at  the  present  day  who 
have  mastered  the  art.  Another  maker  who  has  won  well-earned  fame 
in  most  parts  of  the  world  resides  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  J.  C.   Hexdershot. 

Mr.  Hendershot  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Mich.,  May  20,  1847,  and 
he  is,  therefore,  forty-two  j-ears  of  age.  For  the  past  twenty  yeans  he  has 
devoted  all  his  leisure  time  to  violin  making,  pursuing  the  labor  with  the 
zeal  of  an  enthusiast  and  purely  for  the  love  of  the  work.  He  is  a  natural 
genius  in  mechanics,  and  has  that  intense  love  that  is  never  baffled  at 
difficulties,  and  having  traveled  extensively  and  formed  quite  a  collection 
of  his  own,  liis  taste  is  formed  on  the  finest  models.  His  collection  of 
about   fifty    instruments   comprises   such    names  as   "Amati,"    "  Stradi- 

34S 


I 


varius,"  "  Petrus  and  Joseph  Guarnerius,"  "Steiner,"  and  "Klotz," 
' '  Matthias  Albani ' '  and  others  of  the  famous  makers,  and  it  is 
a  sight  to  see  Mr.  Hendershot  lovinglj'  take  his  favorites  by  the  neck  and 
expatiate  on  their  merits  and  point  out  their  cunning  workmanship.  After 
years  of  study  and  experimenting  with  all  sorts  of  wood,  Mr.  Hendershot 
came  to  the  conclusion,  since  practically  verified,  that  balsam  wood  solved 
the  problem  in  violin  making,  as  it  is  the  wood  that  possesses  the  wear- 
ing and  lasting  qualities  so  long  sought  for  by  violin  experts.  The  tonal 
quality  of  the  wood  we  instantly  recognized  when  Mr.  Nowell  drew  his 
bow  across  the  strings;  the  instrument  in  question  gave  out  a  rich  tone, 
both  brilliant  and  velvety,  with  that  indescribable  something  that  told 
one  it  owned  a  soul  —  something  most  violins  are  lacking  in,  and  which 
nothing  compensates  for.  Mr.  Hendershot  builds  after  the  best  models, 
and  the  nicety  of  his  workmanship  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated;  delicate 
F  holes,  graceful  scroll  and  neck  and  flowing  lines  are  some  of  the  char- 
acteristics of  his  art.  The  best  of  the  profession  are  using  his  violins,  and 
he  showed  me  many  warm  letters  lauding  him  and  begging  him  to  con- 
tinue in  his  good  work.  Remenyi  plaj^s  on  one  of  his  instruments;  Mr. 
Jacobsohn,  of  Chicago,  is  another  name  that  is  sufficient  guarantee;  George 
Lehman  and  Miss  Maggie  Wuertz,  of  Cleveland,  two  talented  young 
artists,  possess  fine  specimens  of  Mr.  Hendershot's  skill.  And  now  Mr. 
Nowell  may  be  added  to  the  ranks  of  converts,  as  he  was  so  delighted 
with  the  "American  fiddle"  that  he  gave  its  maker  an  order  for  one  on 
which  he  will  plaj-.  For  thorough  workmanship,  finish  and  even  mu- 
sical tone,  Mr.  Hendershot's  are  among  the  best  now  made,  either  in 
Europe  or  America. 

Brass  Instrument  Making. 

The  manufacture  of  brass  instruments  has  been  carried  to  an 
advanced  point  in  this  country,  where  not  only  have  the  best  results  of 
foreign  makers  been  rivaled,  but  American  manufacturers  have  devised 
new  methods  of  their  own,  and  have  materially  improved  the  instruments, 
and  at  the  same  time  put  the  processes  of  manufacture  upon  a  com- 
mercial basis.     One  of  the  men  prominent  in  this  line  is  Mr.  Conn. 

C.  G.  Conn. 

The  life  of  this  celebrated  manufacturer  of  brass  band  instruments  is 
well  worth  knowing.  It  is  the  record  of  the  successful  outcome  of  untiring 
energy  and  determination.  Mr.  Conn  was  bom  in  Manchester,  N.  Y.,  in 
1844,  and  lived  there  until  1850,  when  his  parents  removed  to  Elkhart, 
Ind.     From  1861  to  1865  he  was  serving  in  the  army,  and  rose  to  the  rank 

350 


» 


of  captain.  In  1872  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of  elastic  rims  on  the 
metal  mouthpiece  of  wind  instruments.  From  that  he  went  on  to  make 
the  mouthpiece,  and  finally  the  instrument  itself  He  is  the  inventor  of 
many  improvements  in  the  cornet,  of  which  the  outcome  was  the  "Ulti- 
matum "  valve  cornet,  which  is  used  bj'  masters  like  Cappa,  Bent,  Emer- 
son, etc.  In  1883  Mr.  Conn  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  large  factory, 
with  all  his  patterns  and  appliances,  by  fire.  But  with  characteristic 
energy  he  rebuilt  the  place  on  a  larger  scale,  introducing  every  conven- 
ience and  the  newest  machinery^,  and  to-day  his  factory  is  the  largest  and 
finest  in  the  country.  This  factor}^  is  the  only  one  where  every  part  of 
the  instrument  is  made,  and  all  band  instruments  are  voiced  in  sets  in 
order  to  secure  perfect  harmony  of  key.  In  January,  1887,  Mr.  Conn 
opened  a  branch  house  at  Worcester  Mass. ,  for  the  eastern  trade.  Liberati, 
the  eminent  cornet  soloist,  styles  Mr.  Conn  ' '  the  king  of  all  cornet 
makers,"  and  Gilmore,  Cappa,  Innes,  Hutchins,  Hoch,  Emerson,  all  join 
in  the  same  warm  praise.  Mr.  Conn  has  lately  introduced  a  brass  clari- 
net, which  is  said  to  be  a  great  improvement  over  the  old  wooden  style. 
Outside  of  his  business  Mr.  Conn  is  an  active  man.  He  has  been  mayor 
of  Elkhart  for  four  years,  and  has  helped  greatly  to  build  up  the  city;  is 
a  member  of  the  governor's  staff,  colonel  and  chief  of  artillery,  organized 
the  Elkhart  Commandery  of  Knights  Templar,  is  president  of  the  Vet- 
erans' Association  of  Elkhart,  and  a  member  of  other  societies.  Mr. 
Conn  has  won  his  reputation  by  sheer  hard,  plucky  work,  and  he  deserves 
every  atom  of  praise  he  has  gained. 


.^?2 


(r<2^^^< 


33i 


MUSIC    PUBLISHERS. 

•  fpN'-  ^1"^^  significance  with  the  other  features  of  the  remarkable 
£■  y^  .  activity  in  musical  directions  has  been  the  marvelous  growth  of 
l^jvS^'^  the  music-publishing  business.  One  of  the  earliest  and  best 
(ili^'  known  music  publishers  of  this  countr\-,  Mr.  Oliver  Ditson,  has 
~^b  just  passed  awa}'.  Within  his  single  life  the  sheet  music  and  book 
j  trade  has  grown  from  almost  insignificant  proportions  to  such  a 
volume  that  the  catalogue  of  the  house  of  Ditson  &  Co.  is  probabh'  larger, 
in  the  mere  enumeration  of  titles,  than  that  of  any  other  music-publishing 
house  in  the  world.  It  is  under.stood,  of  course,  that  publishers  carr}-  on 
their  business  upon  commercial  principles,  for  the  purpose  of  making 
mone}-,  but  it  would  be  easy  to  underestimate  the  sacrifices  they  have 
made  in  the  past  for  the  sake  of  encouraging  musicians  in  the  proditction 
of  works  of  a  grade  above  the  mereh-  ephemeral  and  iramediatel}'  remu- 
nerative. Ditson  &  Co.  for  many  years  w^ere  singularly  far-seeing  in  this 
respect.  The  present  writer,  manj^  j-ears  ago,  had  completed  a  work 
upon  an  abstruse  part  of  musical  theory,  then  little  studied  in  this 
country.  The  MSS.  was  accepted  bj-  Ditson  with  the  remark  :  "  We  do 
not  see  an}^  money  in  your  work ;  but  we  do  see  a  good  fellow  working 
for  the  cause  of  art,  against  great  disadvantages,  and  we  are  disposed  to 
help  him."  In  this  instance  the  w'ork  had  a  moderate  sale,  but  it  is 
doubtful  whether  the  cost  of  the  plates  was  made  good.  Other  composi- 
tions of  ambitious  purpose  have  been  held  unsold  for  years,  and  at  length 
the  plates  have  been  melted  down  for  the  metal  in  them,  without  the 
world  having  been  appreciably  benefited  by  the  music  publisher's  charity, 
for  it  is  of  little  use  to  print  books  which  nobody  buys.  Still  the  pub- 
lishers have  often  been  rewarded  for  taking  their  chances  in  this  waj'. 
The  great  publishing  house  of  Breitkopf  &  Haertel  found  the  composi- 
tions of  Robert  Schumann  utterly  unsalable  for  years,  yet  they  afterward 
became  one  of  the  most  profitable  properties  in  the  catalogue  of  the 
house. 

Oliver  Ditsox. 
A  name  that  is  as  familiar  as  a  household  word  wherever  music  is 
known  and  loved,  is  thr.t  of  the  famous  publisher,  Oliver  Ditson,  who  but 


i 


uCtyO^-e^  JQlyOi-Cn^ 


a  few  months  ago  passed  from  his  field  of  usefulness  and  went  over  to 
the  vast  majority.  Mr.  Ditson  was  a  pioneer  in  the  field  of  music  pub- 
lishing in  America,  and  he  was  the  founder  of  the  great  house  that  bears 
his  name,  which  is  known  from  one  end  of  tlie  Union  to  the  other.  Mr. 
Ditson  was  a  Bostonian  b}'  birth,  having  been  born  at  the  North  End 
Oct.  30,  181 1.  He  attended  the  common  schools  of  Boston  and  acquired 
a  good,  sound  education,  graduating  at  the  head  "of  his  class  when  he  was 
but  twelve  years  of  age.  He  entered  upon  the  trade  of  printer,  and  after 
being  connected  with  several  printing  and  publishing  houses  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Col.  S.  H.  Parker,  and  engaged  in  publishing  books  and 
music.  At  the  time  of  the  formation  of  this  partnership  Mr.  Ditson  was  j  ust 
twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  1840,  Col.  Parker  retired,  and  Mr.  Ditson 
carried  on  the  business  alone.  Shortlj^  afterward  he  married  Miss  Catherine 
Delano,  and  to  them  five  children  were  born,  two  of  whom  survive.  In 
1845  Mr.  John  C.  Ha5-nes  entered  the  employ  of  Oliver  Ditson,  and 
shortly  afterward  Mr.  Haj-nes  being  taken  into  partnership,  the  firm  name 
was  changed  to  Oliver  Ditson  &  Co.  In  1857  the  wareroom  on  Wash- 
ington street,  Boston,  was  built  to  accommodate  the  rapidly  increasing 
business,  and  in  1877  another  store  adjoining  was  added  to  the  space 
needed  bj^  the  firm.  In  all  his  personal  and  business  relations  Mr.  Ditson 
won  esteem  and  regard.  He  was  a  model  of  the  American  business  man 
and  the  American  citizen.  He  was  a  stanch  friend,  and  in  his  own  family 
was  accorded  even  more  than  the  affection  that  is  usually  bestowed  upon 
a  husband  and  father,  for  he  was  of  the  kindest  of  dispositions  and  most 
amiable  in  temperament.  He  was  a  valuable  friend  to  all  musical  enter- 
prises, to  which  he  contributed  freelj-,  and  in  which  he  took  a  deep  interest. 
His  career  was  notable  for  its  modest}-,  integritj'  and  fidelity,  and  he  is 
one  of  the  very  few  Americans  who  have  been  purely  men  of  business  and 
yet  who  have  become  known  all  over  the  land.  To  quote  from  the  Boston 
Gazette :  "It  would  not  be  exaggeration  to  saj^  that  millions  of  people  of 
successive  generations  during  the  last  fifty  j^ears  have  learned  to  associate 
his  name  with  the  musical  works  they  have  studied  or  enjoyed;  while  he 
has  been  known  abroad  and  to  those  engaged  in  similar  business  as 
perhaps  the  largest  music  publisher  in  the  world."  Mr.  Ditson  died  Dec. 
21,  1888,  after  a  long  illness. 

John  C.   Havnes. 

The  story  of  this  almost  life-long  associate  of  Mr.  Ditson  is  that  of 
the  typical  self-made  American.  He  was  born  in  Brighton,  Suffolk 
County,  Mass.,  and  comes  of  sturdy  New  England  parentage.  After 
finishing  his  studies  in  the  common  schools  of  Boston,  he  entered,  at  the 


Str^y^   "tS,  yuCL^^yZ'T^ 


age  of  fifteen,  the  employ  of  the  above-named  firm,    at    the  munificent 
salary  of  $1.50  per  week. 

His  remarkable  executive  ability  and  sterling  abalities  enabled  him, 
from  these  small  beginnings,  to  attain  an  enviable  prominence  in  the 
commercial  and  musical  worlds. 

His  entire  career  has  been  animated  by  an  enlightened  and  progressive 
spirit  which  has  been  a  powerful  factor  in  the  advancement  of  the  musical 
art  on  this  continent.  It  is  to  his  influence  that  we  owe  the  first  publica- 
tion in  America  of  Mendelssohn  s  Songs  without  Words,  and  Beethoven' s 
Sonatas,  which  was  then  considered  as  ahead  of  the  times  and  a  risky 
pecmiiarj^  venture.  He  has  ever  been  ready  to  exert  the  same  genial 
influence,  the  same  progressive  spirit  and  the  same  S3'mpathy  in  behalf 
of  any  musician  who  aspired  to  have  his  compositions  published,  and 
thousands  of  nuisical  works  have  been  issued  without  a  thought  as  to 
their  being  a  paying  investment. 

The  stimulating  influence  and  far-reaching  benefits  of  this  magnan- 
imous policy  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Haynes  and  his  associates  have  been 
of  incalculable  value  to  the  cause  of  music,  and  have  been  felt  throughout 
the  country'. 

As  a  point  of  encouragement  to  the  ambitious  student,  it  maj-  not  be 
out  of  place  to  mention  the  fact  that  among  the  Ijook  publications  of  this 
house  Richardson' s  lYcw  Method  for  the  Piano  has  been  one  of  the  most 
successful.  Mr.  Richardson  was  a  j-oung  man  when  the  book  was 
compiled,  and  died  shortly  after  its  publication  His  widow  has  already 
received  over  $100,000  in  ro}alties  on  the  sale  of  this  book. 

When  a  young  man,  Mr.  Haynes  was  instrumental  in  organizing  the 
Federal  Library  Association.  His  many  \-ears'  connection  with  it  was  of 
great  value  in  his  earl}-  training  and  culture.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the 
Mercantile  Librarj'^  Association  and  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Union; 
also  of  the  Woman's  Industrial  Union,  and  of  the  Aged  Couples'  Home 
Society.  He  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Franklin  Savings  Bank,  director 
in  the  Massachusetts  Title  Insurance  Company,  and  in  the  Prudential 
Fire  Insurance  Compan}',  treasurer  of  the  Free  Religious  Association, 
member  of  the  Massachusetts  Club,  and  of  the  Home  Market  Club;  also 
of  the  Boston  Merchants'  Association. 

The  death  of  Oliver  Ditson,  Dec.  21,  1888,  di-ssolved  the  firm  of 
which  Mr.  Haj-nes  had  been  a  partner  for  so  many  jears.  A  corporation 
was  formed,  of  which  he  became  the  president  and  general  manager, 
where  we  now  lea\-e  him  in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health,  with  the  wish 
that  he  maj-  be  spared  many  years  in  which  to  continue  his  good  work 
and  the  development  of  his  life's  ambition. 


u^< 


^ 


CHAPTER  XVI.  . 

Literary  Factors  in  Musical  Progress. 

"  HE  position  of  the  literary  element  among  the  forces  which  have 
brought  the  art  of  music  to  its  present  recognition  and  apprecia- 
'y  tion  in  America  is  peculiar  but  singularly  helpful  and  honorable. 
Yet  no  element  of  all  the  complex  forces  is  so  little  understood  by 
the  average  musician.  This  is  because,  primarily,  the  literar}^  element 
operates  in  a  different  plane  from  that  of  music  proper.  Music  itself, 
as  combinations  of  tones,  is  taken  into  consciousness  by  way  of  the  ears 
and  tlie  single  and  combined  tonal  impressions  .so  received  are  correlated 
and  classified  in  corners  of  the  brain  with  which  we  are  only  imperfectly 
acquainted,  the  best  musicians  being  but  little  wiser  upon  this  point  than 
the  poorest.  The  farthest  that  the  testimony  of  experts  can  go  in  this 
direction  is  to  certify  that  to  him,  the  expert,  such  and  such  tonal  com- 
binations are  intelligible.  Literature  does  not  come  into  the  musical  plane 
at  all,  but  only  approaches  it  here  and  there,  and  in  some  of  its  most 
beautiful  marches  runs  in  a  parallel  way  with  it.  Hence  there  might  be 
a  very  vivid  appreciation  of  music  in  an  individual  or  a  coramunit}', 
without  any  one  person  of  the  entire  number  so  included  being  able  to 
give  any  intelligible  account  whatever  of  the  reason  why  this,  that  or  the 
other  combination  affected  him  or  failed  to  affect  him.  In  the  same 
manner  a  community  might  be  full  of  poetically  inclined  souls,  whose 
ordinary  state  might  come  very  near  the  ecstasy  commonly  engendered  by 
music  in  those  sensible  to  its  influence,  without  any  one  of  those  individ- 
uals being  able  to  explain  the  reason  whj'.  Poetrj^  also  lies  outside  the  plane 
of  reason.  While  the  words  of  which  poetry  is  composed  represent  concepts, 
the  poetry  as  a  whole  represents  something  quite  distinct  from  concepts, 
namely,  imagination,  play  of  fancy,  feeling;  and  while  the  Gradgrind 
critic  is  occupied  in  determining  some  nice  point  of  grammatical  construc- 
tion, or  the  agreement  of  some  mislaid  nominative  with  its  hastilj'  acquired 
verb,  the  poetic  reader  is  already  at  his  goal,  the  Pisgah  height  from 
which  the  poet  looks  out  over  the  promised  land,  which  only  poets  see. 
Nevertheless  the  literary  element  is  extremely  important  in  the  cultivation 


of  musical  taste,  and  the  nature  and  extent  of  this  importance  are  the 
questions  to  which  we  here  address  ourselves. 

Literature  has  three  planes  of  service  in  respect  to  music,  differing 
from  each  other  in  the  degree  to  which  the  pureh-  musical  faculties  regu- 
late and  illuminate  its  operations.  The  highest  of  these  planes,  because 
the  one  in  which  the  purely  musical  faculties  exercise  supreme  control, 
is  tliat  of  criticism  proper.  A  determination  concerning  subject  matter  or 
performance,  that  it  is  or  is  not  artistic.  In  this  plane  the  literary  faculty 
is  the  servant  and  helper  of  the  musical,  translating  into  the  vernacular 
of  intellectual  inter-communication  the  verbally  vague  impressions  or 
intuitions  of  the  musical  faculties.  The  manner  in  which  this  control  of 
the  literary  faculties  comes  to  pass  need  not  here  detain  us.  For  anj-thing 
that  we  know  it  may  be  analogous  to  the  manner  in  which  induction  takes 
place  between  two  electric  circuits  which  happen  to  be  contiguous. 
Service  in  the  second  plane  rendered  bj^  literature  to  music  is  that  of 
musical  journalism,  recording  and  applauding  noteworthy  happenings  in 
the  musical  world.  Here  the  purel}-  musical  intuition  is  exercised  only 
in  the  selection  of  events  for  record,  and,  to  some  extent  in  characterizing 
them;  the  greater  part  of  the  journalism  is  purely  literary.  The  third 
plane  is  that  in  which  the  literary  faculty  is  supreme,  and  the  musical  is 
the  servant,  or  at  least  is  kept  in  the  background.  This  is  the  intellectual 
service  of  providing  formulas  for  communicating  technical  musical  knowl- 
edge, the  making  of  text  books,  and  the  like.  This  service  is  as  important 
as  any,  since  without  it  music  thinking  can  never  become  really  clear,  for 
clear  thinking  is  so  intimately  connected  with  clear  saj'ing  that  it  is  hardly 
possible  to  determine  which  is  the  cause  and  which  the  eflfect. 

Of  criticism  proper,  the  highest  of  these  composite  relations  of  litera- 
ture to  music,  it  may  be  observed  that  no  branch  of  work  in  connection 
with  music  is  less  understood  or  more  often  abused.  The  great  majoritj'  of 
careless  readers  suppose  that  a  critic's  principal  function  is  to  find  fault 
with  performance,  and  they  estimate  his  thoroughness  as  common  people 
used  to  estimate  a  doctor's  power,  by  the  bad  taste  and  spirit-searching 
qualities  of  the  drugs  he  administered.  To  find  fault  is  exactly  what  a 
critic  should  not  do  if  he  can  avoid  it.  His  proper  mission  is  that  of  ex- 
plaining to  the  public  outside  of  music,  or  only  just  in.side  the  doors  of  its 
sanctuar>',  the  reason  why  this,  that  or  the  other  should  affect  them,  or 
should  not  affect.  Properly  speaking,  the  critic  is  a  literarj'  intermediary 
between  the  artist  and  the  public.  There  is  only  one  thing  worse  for  a 
critic  than  habitual  fault-finding,  which  is  habitual  praise.  When  every- 
thing is  alike  beautiful,  splendid  and  artistic,  the  world  of  art  is  reduced 
again  to  a  level  prairie,  which,  however  high  as  a  table  land,  is  never- 

360 


theless  to  the  eye  and  the  traveler  only  a  dead  level,  monotonous  and  un- 
inspiring. Nor  is  the  so-called  "judicious"  standpoint  more  satisfactory 
to  the  reader.  To  go  through  a  performance,  saying  that  this  little  bit 
was  well  done,  this  one  badly,  at  this  point  the  soprano  flatted  percepta- 
bly,  and  at  this  the  alto  failed  to  come  in  time,  is  not  to  give  an  artistic 
criticism  of  a  performance.  To  speak  of  a  new  work  as  composed  upon  a 
certain  theme  opening  in  the  key  of  A  and  passing  presently  by  a  certain 
chord  to  the  key  of  B,  is  of  no  more  value  to  a  reader  than  the  informa- 
tion that  a  certain  article  of  bread  contains  so-and-so-many  particles  of 
gluten,  starch,  or  what  not.  The  buyer  desires  not  a  chemical  analysis, 
but  information  whether  the  bread  offered  for  sale  is  agreeable  to  the  taste 
and  digestible.  Not  even  a  baker  is  informed  of  the  particulars  concerning 
the  chemical  constitution  of  the  liread.  Nay,  even  the  chemist  himself  is 
still  at  sea,  for  when  he  has  done  his  best  in  analyzing  manj'  common  sub- 
stances, oils  or  what  not,  he  finds  several  of  them  to  be  composed  pre- 
cisely alike,  although  their  tastes  and  properties  are  very  different.  The 
true  place  of  criticism  has  been  well  defined  by  Mr.  H.  L-Finckin  a.dictum 
quoted  below  in  the  article  devoted  to  his  record.  It  is  to  transfer  to  the 
reader  something  of  the  "  contagious  enthusiasm,"  which  a  great  master 
work  awakens  in  a  .sensitive  soul. 

Criticism  has  two  distinct  functions:  To  pass  upon  subject  matter, 
and  to  characterize  performance.  Here  again  we  come  upon  a  diversity 
of  gifts,  it  rarely  happening  that  critics  are  equally  strong  in  both  these 
functions.  The  earlier  critics  who  attracted  attention  were  musicians  with 
a  literary  faculty,  and  as  the  standard  of  performance  was  not  so  high 
as  it  has  lately  become,  their  work  measures  verj'  well  along  the  plane 
defined  by  Mr.  Finck.  One  of  the  first  of  these  artists  to  acquire  national 
fame  was  Mr.  John  S.  Dwight,  whose  fluent  and  graceful  Knglish  was  de- 
voted to  the  finer  appreciation  of  music  with  so  much  effect  that  he  has 
been  an  inspiration  to  at  least  two  generations  of  susceptible  souls. 

The  most  difficult  thing  in  criticism  proper,  and  the  only  element  in 
it  entitling  the  doer  to  genuine  rank  as  a  critic,  is  the  ability  to  distin- 
guish a  first-class  article,  whether  performance  or  subject  matter,  before 
it  has  generally  been  so  recognized.  It  is  not  here  intended  to  affirm 
that  this  art  is  one  which  strains  the  mind  of  the  critic  more  than  any 
other  of  his  functions;  on  the  contrarj',  if  he  is  able  to  do  this,  he  does  it 
through  the  exercise  of  a  true  artistic  intuition,  which  costs  him  no  more 
conscious  exertion  of  brain  power  than  the  intuition  that  water  is  more 
apt  to  run  down  hill  than  up.  Either  he  sees  it  or  he  does  not  .see  it.  If 
the  latter,  all  helps  will  be  in  vain,  and  reflection  will  aid  him  but  little. 
He  is  not  a  critic,  nor  ever  will  be.     Technical  knowledge  is  of  great  value 

361 


here,  provided  it  be  in  such  form  within  him  as  not  to  interfere  with  the 
exercise  of  the  artistic  intuition  referred  to.  But  it  often  happens  to  a 
critic  to  l)e  too  well  informed  technically  (or  too  little  informed  artistically) 
in  consequence  of  which  he  gets  lost  in  some  minor  particular,  losing 
sight  of  the  main  question  entirely.  In  fact,  a  certain  degree  of  largeness 
of  mind  and  freedom  from  small  prejudice  is  indispensable  as  part  of  a 
critic's  equipment. 

Another  point  worth  noting  is  the  public  to  which  the  critic  should 
address  him.self  Manj-  critics  write  as  if  with  an  eye  to  the  performer's 
reading  the  article  in  print.  "How  will  this  strike  him  ?"  ''How  will 
he  take  this  ?"  These  are  questions  one  reads  between  the  lines  contin- 
ually. The  mean  critic  who  gives  a  bad  notice  becau.se  he  has  been 
refused  free  seats,  or  because  he  dislikes  the  plaj^er  or  singer,  or  because 
the  composer  is  of  a  hostile  nation,  we  pass  without  a  word,  beyond  his 
enumeration  as  one  of  a  nearlj^  extinct  class.  He  has  nothing  for  us. 
The  proper  aim  of  the  critic  should  be  to  awaken  interest  in  the  province 
of  art  in  which  he  exercises  his  function.  This  he  is  to  do,  not  by  pour- 
ing ill-timed  technicalities  and  .statistics  into  the  unwilling  ear  of  readers, 
but  in  a  much  better  way,  by  conveying  to  them  the  impression  that  there 
is  something  in  the  art  worth  attending  to,  and  capable  of  being  spoken 
of  in  an  interesting  manner.  This  is  the  real  motive  power  in  criticism, 
especially  when  directed  in  the  manner  above  described,  by  the  sure 
intuition  which,  taking  a  short  cut,  arrives  at  the  goal  before  the  average 
reader  has  been  able  to  get  his  bearings.  Nor  is  anything  surer  than  that 
something  to  saj',  will  find  a  hearer.  The  world  is  like  the  old  woman  of 
popular  fancy,  its  great  all-receptive  ear  is  ready  to  him  who  can  fill  it. 
This  is  proven  in  all  the  personal  biographies  which  fill  up  this  chapter. 
One  and  all,  these  men  began  as  enthusiasts  in  music,  and  spoke  to  those 
having  little  or  no  interest  in  the  art;  still  as  years  have  passed  one 
hearer  after  another  has  been  acquired,  until  the}'  now  number  by  thou- 
sands and  tens  of  thousands. 

The  enormous  change  in  the  currency  of  writing  about  music  within 
recent  3'ears  is  almost  incredible.  It  is  scarcely  twenty  years  since 
one  of  the  oldest  American  musicians,  and  best  of  men,  took  a  young 
writer  one  side  and  said  substantially:  "My  dear  fellow,  you  will  never 
get  a  hearing  in  this  country  for  your  pretty  talk  about  classical  music; 
Americans  do  not  care  for  it.  Come  with  us  and  praise  the  music  which 
the  average  American  likes,  and  you  will  be  happier,  better  paid  and 
have  a  better  time."  The  young  man  replied:  "Every  one  must  be  true 
to  his  own  highest  light.  It  happens  to  be  mj'  mission  to  talk  about  the 
music  I  know  to  be  best  worth  talking  about;  and  I  will  go  on.    Whether 

.^62 


they  hear  me  or  not  may  be  a  serious  matter  financially,  but  as  it  happens 
to  be  my  work  to  do  this  thing,  I  shall  keep  on. ' '  The  usual  result 
followed.  In  so  far  as  that  writer  has  had  something  to  say  he  has  found 
readers,  and  the  usual  rewards  of  writers  who  please  and  instruct  their 
readers  follow.     The  dismal  prophecy  of  the  senior  has  not  been  realized. 

One  of  the  most  important  functions  of  criticism  nowadays  is  its 
exercise  through  the  columns  of  the  daily  press.  In  this  respect  a  single 
generation  has  seen  a  great  change  all  along  the  line.  If  when  Mr. 
Dwight  established  his  Jouriial  of  Music  he  could  have  written  a  half 
column  or  more  several  times  a  week,  and  have  been  sure  of  its  reaching 
half  a  hundred  thousand  readers,  is  it  likely  he  would  have  considered 
himself  to  be  advancing  his  cause  through  the  medium  of  a  fortnightly 
publication  reaching  only  half  a  thousand  readers,  many  of  them  so  full 
of  professional  prejudices  as  to  be  practicall}'  insensible  to  his  teaching? 
It  is  true  that  many  suppose  that  the  daily  newspapers  impose  restrictions 
upon  the  critic  as  to  the  use  of  technicalities.  This  is  not  the  case.  An  intel- 
ligent critic  recognizes  the  fact  that  he  is  addressing  thousands  of  readers 
not  technically  conversant  with  the  subject  of  which  he  writes;  he  there- 
fore seeks  to  be  intelligible,  and  in  order  that  he  may  be  so,  avoids  tech- 
nicalities as  far  as  possible.  But  it  needs  only  to  read  the  daih-  papers 
after  an  important  musical  event  to  find  it  treated  with  an  amplitude  which 
few  special  journals  are  able  to  afford.  To  cite  a  single  instance  among 
man}-,  the  operatic  performance  of  the  Metropolitan  Company  in  Chicago 
in  May,  1889,  received  in  the  Chicago  Daily  News  about  three  thousand 
words  a  day,  when  Wagner's  Nicbchingen  Trilogy  was  being  given.  Thus 
in  five  daj-s,  the  Mcistcrsingcrs  coming  in  at  the  end  of  the  week,  that 
paper  devoted  to  this  one  subject  no  less  than  fifteen  thousand  words,  or 
the  equivalent  of  about  sixty  pages  like  those  of  the  present  work.  No 
musical  journal  could  spare  so  much  space  in  a  single  week,  however 
interesting  the  subject  might  be. 

In  the  early  days  of  journalism,  before  news  gathering  had  been 
carried  out  over  so  wide  a  space  as  at  present,  the  New  York  Tribune  not 
uncommonly  devoted  from  three  to  five  columns  to  the  opera  of  the  night 
before;  and  upon  certain  occasions  the  allotment  of  space  is  said  to  have 
reached  an  entire  page.  This  was  in  the  time  of  the  late  William  Henry 
Fr}-,  who  was  the  first  musical  critic  upon  a  dail}-  newspaper  in  America 
to  gain  the  ear  of  the  public,  and  to  employ  his  position  for  the  purpo.se 
of  bringing  his  readers  as  far  as  possi])le  upon  his  own  high  plane.  In 
these  days  we  would  consider  that  so  unreasonable  an  allotment  of  space 
would  defeat  its  own  purpose,  since  amid  .so  many  words  the  particular 
points  intended  by  the  writer  would  surely  be  missed  hy  the  reader,  who 

363 


is  very  certain  to  have  occupation  of  his  own,  and  will  not  be  able  to 
devote  his  entire  time  to  reading  criticism,  however  able  it  may  be. 

These  long  articles,  moreover,  are  of  a  kind  peculiarly  dangerous  to 
the  critic.  For  example,  in  the  Tribune  of  December  23,  1863,  he  had 
five  columns  upon  Gounod's  Faust,  performed  the  previous  night  for  the 
first  time  in  America.  Now  when  one  considers  that  an  article  of  this 
kind  is  necessarily  written  in  advance,  before  hearing  the  opera  at  all, 
merely  from  a  study  of  the  pianoforte  copy,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  it  car- 
ries a  much  lighter  authority  than  if  it  had  been  entirel}'  written  after 
hearing  the  work.  It  is  mechanically  impossible,  as  daily  journalism 
goes,  to  write  more  than  about  fifteen  hundred  words  after  an  operatic 
performance,  especially  of  a  long  opera  like  Faust.  All  the  remainder  of 
the  article  must  have  been  written  the  daj'  before,  or  several  days  before, 
and  have  been  put  in  type  before  the  opera  was  begun.  Now  everj'  critic 
knows  that  hearing  a  work  makes  a  great  difference  in  his  opinion  con- 
cerning it.  Things  which  look  extremely  questionable  upon  paper  turn 
out  all  right  in  performance,  and  points  which  the  reader  passes  over 
without  notice  prove  to  be  very  effective  in  action;  hence  it  happens  that 
a  hearing  generally  changes 'or  materiallj^  modifies  the  critic's  view  of  a 
work;  and,  in  the  case  of  long  Articles  written  in  advance,  changes  it 
when  it  is  too  late  to  confess  the  fact.  Mr.  Fry's  article  concerning  the 
first  production  of  Faust  also  illustrates  another  prime  difficulty  in  criti- 
cism, namely  the  difference  which  custom  makes.  What  we  are  used  to 
we  like;  that  which  is  new  we  are  apt  to  condemn.  This  is  what  hap- 
pened to  Mr.  Fry  in  the  case  in  question.  Gounod's  opera,  which  as  we 
now  see  it  began  a  new  school,  he  pronounced  unlikely  to  succeed.  Yet 
these  are  his  words:  "  Among  all  these  nineteen  pieces  we  look  in  vain 
for  a  first-class  memorable  melody — the  prime  requisite  for  an  opera  and 
without  which  it  cannot  live.  And,  again,  this  opinion  reduced  to  its 
essence,  amounts  to  saj-ing  that  Gounod's  melody  did  not  conform  to  the 
Donizetti  type,  which,  as  we  see  in  "  Notre  Dame  de  Paris,"  was  the 
ideal  in  Mr.  Fry's  mind  at  the  time.  But  when  all  deductions  of  this 
kind  have  been  made,  Mr.  Fry  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  first 
gained  the  attention  of  American  readers  to  musical  criticism,  as  we  now 
understand  the  term.  The  tradition  thus  established  in  the  office  of  the 
Tribune  has  been  kept  up  ever  since,  and  by  none  more  capably  than  by 
the  present  incumbent  of  the  chair,  Mr.  H.  E.  Krehbiel. 

Henry  Edward  Krehbiel. 

This  well  known  musical  journalist  is  a  Michigan  man,  having  been 
bom  at  Ann  Arbor,  March  10,  1854.     His  father  was  an  itinerant  Method- 

564 


f-tt^  f<kiJd2.-CcL 


.5t>5 


ist  clergy-man,  so  that  young  Krehbiel  may  be  said  to  have  received  his 
education  in  the  same  manner  as  the  sailor  was  born,  "  all  along  the  coast. " 
He  commenced  writing  for  the  newspapers  when  he  was  onl}^  eighteen 
years  old,  but  had  no  regular  engagement  until  the  spring  of  1874  when 
he  began  work  on  the  Cincinnati  Gazette.  He  was  at  that  time  reading 
law  in  Cincinnati,  but  journalism  was  more  to  his  mind,  and  he  made 
music  his  special tj-.  In  November,  1880,  he  came  to  New  York  to  take 
editorial  charge  of  the  Musical  Review,  a  weekly  paper,  which  had  been 
established  a  year  before  by  Archibald  MacMartin,  Gustav  Kobbe  and 
Dr.  Rodriguez.  At  the  same  time  Whitelaw  Reid  invited  him  to  do  the 
musical  criticism  for  the  New  York  Tribune,  to  which  paper  he  is  still 
attached  in  an  editorial  capacity.  Mr.  Krehbiel  has  been  an  active  and 
zealous  worker  all  his  life,  though,  owing  to  the  prevailing  anonj-mity  ot 
modern  journalism,  he  has  necessarilj'  received  no  credit  for  much  of  his 
work.  Among  his  published  books  may  be  mentioned,  An  Account  of 
the  Fourth  Musical  Festival,  Held  at  Cincinnati,  May  18,  ig,  20  and  21, 
1880,  Aldine  Printing  Works,  Cincinnati,  1880;  The  Technics  of  Violin 
Playing,  by  Carl  Courvoisier  (an  abridged  translation  of  two  works  by 
Cour\-oisier),  Cincinnati,  A.  E.  Wilde,  1880;  N'otes  on  the  Cultivation  of 
Choral  Music  ayid  the  Oratorio  Society  of  New  York,  New  York,  Edward 
Schuberth  &  Co.,  1884;  Review  of  the  New  York  Musical  Season,  from 
1885  to  1889,  in  four  volumes,  New  York  and  London,  Novello,  Ewer  & 
Co. ,  and  several  books  of  programmes  of  festivals  at  New  York^  Cincin- 
nati and  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Krehbiel  is  a  pleasing  and  graceful  writer  and  a 
musical  critic  of  recognized  ability.  Personally  he  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive  figures  in  the  profession,  being  fully  six  feet  high,  well  propor- 
tioned and  of  an  agreeable  and  inviting  cast  of  countenance.  Physically 
and  mentally  he  is  the  kind  of  man  who  passes  through  the  arduous  grind 
of  daily  journalism  with  a  minimum  of  friction  and  a  maximum  o^f  results. 
Another  ver>'  distinguished  representative  of  this  class  of  critics  is 
Mr.  H.  T.  Finck,  widely  known  as  an  author,  aside  from  his  purely  crit- 
ical writings. 

Henry  T.  Finck. 

Henrj'T.  Finck,  musical  editor  of  the  New  York  Nation  and  Evening 
Post,  was  born  on  Sept.  22,  1854,  at  Bethel,  Shelby  county.  Mo.  His 
father,  Henry  C.  Finck,  a  physician,  was  a  great  musical  enthusiast,  who 
played  everj'  orchestral  instrument  except  the  harp,  composed  a  num- 
ber of  songs,  and  frequentlj^  organized  bands  and  mixed  choirs  for 
his  own  amusement,  with  such  material  as  a  small  town  affords.  His 
children  therefore  had  an  opportunity  from  their  earliest  days  of  hearing 

366 


I 


367 


good  music  daily.  Henrj'  T.  began  to  play  on  the  'cello  at  the  age  ol 
seven.  In  1862  the  family  went  to  Oregon,  via  Panama,  and  lived  at 
Aurora,  twenty-five  milves  south  of  Portland,  for  ten  years.  In  1872  Mr. 
Finck  went  to  Harvard  University,  where  he  graduated  in  1876,  and  imme- 
diately thereafter  started  for  Bayreuth  to  attend  the  first  Nibelungen  fes- 
tival, of  which  he  wrote  accounts  for  the  New  York  World  and  the  Atlantic 
Monthly.  He  had  previously  done  .some  reviewing  for  the  Nation,  and  dur- 
ing his  residence  in  Munich,  where  he  spent  a  j^ear  after  the  Bayreuth 
festival  in  order  to  hear  the  rest  of  Wagner's  operas,  he  continued  to 
write  for  the  Nation  on  musical  and  other  topics.  In  1878  he  was  appointed 
to  a  Harvard  traveling  fellowship,  which  enabled  him  to  spend  three 
more  years  at  the  German  capitals,  especially  Berlin  and  Vienna,  where 
he  had  excellent  opportunity  to  prepare  himself  for  his  future  critical 
career.  Neither  here,  however,  nor  at  Harvard,  where  he  studied  harmony, 
counterpoint  and  musical  history,  under  Prof  J.  K.  Paine,  did  Mr. 
Finck  intend  to  devote  himself  to  music  or  journalism,  his  special  study 
being  modern  psychology.  He  intended  to  apply  for  a  professorship  in 
some  American  college,  but  when  on  the  point  of  returning  to  New  York, 
he  received  from  the  editor  of  the  Nation  an  offer  to  join  his  editorial 
staff,  of  so  advantageous  a  nature  that  he  at  once  accepted.  As  the 
Nation  was  about  this  time  consolidated  with  the  Evening  Post,  under  the 
joint  editorship  of  Messrs.  Carl  Schurz,  E.  L.  Godkin  and  Horace  White, 
Mr.  Finck  naturally  worked  for  both  these  papers,  and  has  done  so  ever 
since,  with  the  exception  of  the  .season  of  1888-89,  which  he  spent  in 
southern  California,  to  recover  from  the  effects  of  typhoid  fever,  the  germs 
of  which  he  had  picked  up  during  a  tour  of  Spain.  Mr.  Finck  has 
written  a  number  of  magazine  articles  on  the  Development  of  the  Color 
Sense  {Macmilla?i' s);  Gastronomic  Value  of  Odors  {Cotitonporarj); 
The  Beauty  of  Spanish  Women  {Scrihier' s),  etc.,  but  his  first  book 
was  the  Wagner  Handbook,  written  for  the  Wagner  concerts  given  by 
Theodore  Thomas  in  1884,  and  discussing  Wagner's  work  and  his  music 
dramas  in  detail.  This  book  is  naturally  out  of  print,  but  its  substance 
will  be  incorporated  in  a  collection  of  musical  essays  to  be  issued  during 
1890.  In  1887  Mr.  F^'inck  published  a  scientific  work  on  Roinuntic 
Love  and  Personal  Beauty,  (Macmillan  &  Co.),  of  which  four  editions 
were  printed  during  the  first  year,  besides  a  London  edition  in  two 
volumes.  In  the  autunni  of  1889  a  German  translation  of  this  work 
appeared  at  Breslau,  in  two  volumes.  During  the  season  of  1887-88  he 
delivered  a  series  of  lectures  at  Chickering  hall,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
National  Conservatory  of  Music  of  America,  which  were  published  in 
1889  by  Chas.  Scribner'sSons,  together  with  some  other  papers,  under  the 

36S 


^2^^*^  ^  (^^^^d^.^.^^ 


369 


title  of  Chopin,  and  other  Musical  Essays.  Besides  attending  to  his 
critical  duties  on  the  Post  and  Nation  Mr.  Finck  lectures  weekly  on  the 
history  of  music  at  the  National  Conservatory,  and  he  also  has  in  press  a 
new  volume  of  travel  sketches,  including  the  Pacific  coast  from  Mexico 
to  Alaska,  Spain  and  Germany.  Mr.  Finck  is  an  ardent  admirer  of  Bach, 
Gluck,  Weber,  Schubert  and  Schumann,  but  his  main  sympathies  are  for 
the  modern  schools  of  Wagner,  Liszt  and  Chopin,  and  for  Rubinstein  and 
Franz.  He  believes  that  although  the  judicial  attitude  in  a  critic  is 
proper  at  all  times,  there  is  a  still  higher  function  of  musical  criticism  — 
that  of  promoting  the  cause  of  the  best  art  b}^  means  oi  contagious  enthu- 
siasm; and  this  higher  function  often  compels  a  critic  to  be  an  advocate 
rather  than  a  dispassionate  judge. 

One  of  the  eminent  of  the  American  critics  is  connected  with  the 
Boston  Evetmig  Transcript. 

William  Foster  Apthorp 

Was  born,  of  American  parents,  in  Boston,  Mass.,  Oct.  24,  1848.  He  was 
taken  to  Europe  in  the  autumn,  of  1856,  and  visited  France,  German}^  and 
Itah',  going  to  daj^  school  to  the  Marquardt'sche  Schule  in  Dresden,  the 
Friedrich  Wilhelm'sches  Progymnasium  in  Berlin,  and  the  French  Fcole 
des  Freres  Chretiens  in  Rome,  besides  studying  drawing  (intending  to  fol- 
low the  career  of  a  painter)  under  Frenzel  in  Dresden,  and  Guglielmi  and 
Garelli  in  Rome.  He  returned  to  Boston  in  the  autumn  of  i860,  and 
fitted  for  college  at  the  school  of  E.  S.  Dixwell.  He  was  graduated  at 
Harvard  Universit}-  in  1869.  Shortlj-  after  his  return  from  Europe  his 
interest  in  music  developed,  and  giving  up  the  study  of  painting,  he  began 
lessons  on  the  pianoforte,  and  in  harmonj^  and  counterpoint,  under  Mr. 
John  K.  Paine,  in  1863,  continuing  under  the  same  master  up  to  1867, 
when  it  ceased  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Paine  going  in  that  3'ear  to  German}^ 
to  bring  out  his  mass  in  D.  Mr.  Apthorp  continued  his  pianoforte  study 
under  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang  for  some  six  or  eight  j-ears  more;  but  since  his  leav- 
ing Mr.  Paine,  his  theoretical  studies  in  music  have  been  entirely'  self- 
directed.  In  the  winter  of  1872-73  he  taught  harmony  at  the  National 
College  of  Music  (Thomas  Ryan,  president),  and,  on  the  cessation  of  that 
institution,  joined  the  staflf  of  teachers  of  the  New  England  Conservatory. 
Here  he  taught,  successively,  pianoforte,  harmony,  counterpoint,  fugue 
and  general  theor\'  for  upwards  of  twelve  years,  besides  having  classes  in 
aesthetics  and  musical  history  in  the  College  of  Music  of  Boston  Univer- 
sity. In  1886  his  connection  with  both  these  institutions  came  to  an 
cid. 

His  career  as  music  critic  began  ^n  1872,  when,  on  the  suggestion  of 

370 


Mr.  Francis  Boott,  the  composer,  Mr.  William  D.  Howells,  then  editor  of 
the  Atlantic  Monthly,  engaged  him  to  edit  the  newly  established  musical 
department  of  that  magazine.  With  two  exceptions,  he  wrote  all  the  mu- 
sical critical  articles  in  the  Atlantic  up  to  December,  1877,  when  the 
department  was  closed.  In  1876  he  became  music  critic  on  the  Boston 
Sunday  Courier,  and  in  1878  assumed  the  charge  of  musical  and  dramatic 
criticism  on  the  Daily  Evening  Traveller.  In  1 88 1  he  was  made  music  critic 
on  the  Boston  Evening  Transcript,  adding  dramatic  criticism  to  his  duties 
the  next  year.  He  has  continued  in  this  post,  in  collaboration  with  Mr. 
F.  H.  Jenks,  ever  since.  In  1880  he  delivered  a  course  of  six  lectures  on 
the  History  0/ Music  at  the  Lowell  Institute,  repeating  the  course  in  New 
York,  Brooklyn  and  at  the  Peabody  Institute  in  Baltimore.  In  1887  he 
delivered  a  second  course  on  general  musical  topics  at  the  Lowell  Institute. 
Besides  his  regular  critical  work,  he  has,  from  time  to  time,  contributed 
musical  articles  to  the  Atlantic  Monthly,  Dwight's  Journal  of  Music,  the 
(New  York)  Musical  Review,  the  International  Review  and  Scribner's 
Magazine,  and  has  been  occasional  musical  correspondent  of  the  New 
York  Tribune.  For  the  last  seven  years  or  so  he  has  been  engaged  upon 
Scribner's  Cyclopcsdia  of  Music  and  Musicians,  in  the  work  of  critical  editor. 
During  the  last  seven  or  eight  5'ears  of  the  symphony  concerts  given  in 
Boston  by  the  Harvard  Musical  Association,  he  was  member  of  the  con- 
cert an  1  programme  committees  of  that  society. 

Mr.  Apthorp  is  one  of  the  clearest  and  most  satisfactory  writers  upon 
music  that  this  country  has  produced.  The  record  above  shows,  by  sugges- 
tion i.t  least,  how  well  his  work  in  this  capacity  has  been  appreciated  by 
tlie  literary  public,  for  each  modification  in  his  way  of  life  has  been  of  the 
essent  al  nature  of  a  promotion.  As  he  is  still  comparative!}'  a  j^ouug 
man,  much  may  be  expected  from  him  in  the  future. 

George  P.  Upton. 

The  celebrated  musical  critic  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  was  born  at 
Roxbury.,  Mass.,  Oct.  25,  1834.  He  graduated  at  Brown  University, 
Providence,  R.  I.,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  in  the  winter  of  that 
year  (1854)  taught  school  at  Plymouth,  Mass.  The  following  year  he 
came  to  Chicago,  and  did  his  first  newspaper  work  upon  the  Native  Citi- 
zen, which  was  owned  by  Gen.  S.  B.  Buckner.  From  1856  to  1862  he 
wascit}'-  editor  of  the  Evening  Journal,  and  during  this  period  he  started 
the  first  distinctive  musical  column  that  had  appeared  in  any  of  the 
Chicago  papers.  His  musical  criticisms  were  an  entirelj^  new  feature  of 
Chicago  journalism.  In  1862  Mr.  Upton  took  the  post  of  city  editor  of 
the  Chicago    Tribune,   and  also   performed  the  duties  of  musical  critic. 

371 


This  latter  department  he  gradually  enlarged,  and  commenced  printing 
musical  intelligence  from  abroad.  He  remained  in  this  capacitj^  until 
about  1882.  Meanwhile  the  war  had  broken  out,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1862  Mr.  Upton  went  south  as  war  correspondent.  On  his  return  to 
Chicago  he  became  successive!)'  cit\%  night  and  news  editor,  and  from 
1866  to  1871  was  literary,  art  and  dramatic  editor.  During  this  period  he 
contributed  the  Peregrine  Pickle  papers,  a  portion  of  which  were  subse- 
quently issued  in  book  form.  In  187 1  he  became  a  member  of  the  editorial 
staff,  and  has  since  remained  in  that  position.  Mr.  Upton  has  been  a  busy 
man.  In  conjunction  with  J.  F.  Sheehan  he  wrote  a  history  of  the 
Chicago  fire,  and  he  has  also  done  much  translation  work — Memories, 
from  the  German  of  Max  Miiller;  Life  of  Haydn,  of  Liszt,  and  of  Wag- 
7ier,  all  from  the  German  of  Ludwig  Nohl;  Woman  in  Music,  and  four 
volumes  upon  standard  musical  works.  Operas,  Oratories,  Cayitas  and  Sym- 
phojiies.  Mr.  Upton  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  magazine  sketches, 
mostly  of  a  musical  character;  and  in  1888  he  performed  what  is  perhaps 
his  most  important  service  to  the  cit\',  where  he  has  lived  so  long.  At  the 
request  of  Librarian  Poole  and  trustees  of  Newberry  Librar)-,  he  prepared 
the  original  list  of  musical  works  desirable  for  the  Newbern,'  collection, 
then  in  process  of  formation.  He  was  afterward  assisted  in  this  work  by 
a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  the  result  being  that  the  Newberry  Library 
has  at  the  present  time  the  largest  and  rarest  musical  collection  in  Amer- 
ica, in  the  departments  of  general  musical  literature,  musical  histor>% 
biography,  theory  and  complete  sets  of  the  works  of  the  great  composers. 
Mr.  Upton  is  a  fluent  and  graceful  writer  of  English,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  country.  His  work  as  musical  critic  was  carried  on  during  the  forma- 
tive j'ears  of  the  city,  when  he  was  the  only  critic  here  able  to  speak  by 
authorit}^  which  he  did  both  from  his  excellent  judgment  of  the  quality 
of  a  performance,  and  by  his  position  upon  the  Tribune,  which  during  all 
this  time  was  peculiarily  the  organ  of  the  cultured  and  moneyed  classes  of 
the  city.  Mr.  Upton's  relations  with  artists  of  the  first  class  have 
always  been  friendly.  By  many  of  the  lesser  lights  his  opinions  were 
feared,  on  account  of  their  supposed  capability  of  making  or  marring  the 
public  fate  of  the  victim.  In  point  of  fact,  however,  Mr.  Upton  was  a 
singularly  kind  critic,  careful  to  understand  what  he  was  called  to  write 
about.  Every  new  work  was  carefully  studied  in  advance  of  performance, 
if  it  could  be  procured,  and  in  every  way  he  was  a  faithful  steward  of  the 
trust  reposed  in  him  by  the  proprietors  of  the  paper  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  public  on  the  other.  It  was  due  to  his  long-continued  work  in  this 
earnest  vein,  that  the  Tribune  acquired  the  prestige  in  amusement  circles 
which  it  still  retains  to  a  considerable  extent. 


ft 
I 


^  UJi^^Z^- 


373 


1 


Musical  Journalism. 


*HE  first  purely  musical  journal  in  this  country,  so  far  as  the 
writer  remembers,  was   Mr.   Dwight's  Journal  of  Music,  estab- 

r"  lished  in   1852  for  advocating  the  claims  of  the  classical  and 
modern  romantic  writers.     This  periodical  was  issued  fortnightly 


<|>  for  twenty-nine  years,  and  reached  a  considerable  circle  of  readers  in  all 
I  parts  of  the  country.  Its  circulation,  however,  was  small  always. 
In  the  days  when  Mr.  Dwight  published  it  himself  it  probably  never 
exceeded  six  hundred  bona  fide  snhscr'ib&rs.  After  Ditson&  Co.  took  the 
publication  of  it  in  1858,  they  circulated  a  number  of  copies  complimentar- 
ily,  and  in  this  way  the  circulation  reached  perhaps  fifteen  hundred  or  two 
thou;: and  copies,  but  scarcely  more.  The  number  circulated,  however,  con- 
veys no  just  idea  of  the  influence  wielded  by  the  journal.  The  charm  of  Mr. 
Dwiglit's  enthusiasm  and  his  elegant  English  combined  to  attract  to  him  the 
refined  and  the  poetic,  with  whom  his  undoubtedly  sincere  opinions  upon 
musical  matters  had  implicit  weight.  Hence  many  reputations  have  been 
made  in  that  journal  for  the  whole  country,  so  great  was  the  influence 
exerted  by  it.  In  Boston  its  circulation  was  almost  infinitesimal,  neverthe- 
less more  than  one  artist  has  found  that  commendation  from  this  high  quar- 
ter has  made  him  friends  of  rare  good  qualit}'.  In  point  of  influence  in  favor 
of  the  best  music  and  for  the  reputation  of  those  whom  it  praised,  Dwight's 
Journal  stands  alone  among  American  musical  papers.  It  is  true  that 
there  was  a  large  majority  denying  ]\Ir.  Dwight's  right  to  pass  judgment 
upon  artistic  points  of  which  he  practically  knew  very  little.  But  they 
were  wrong.  They  belong  with  those  who  have  been,  until  very  recently, 
decrying  the  musicianship  of  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas.  To  these  the  answer 
is:  Supposing  Mr.  Thomas  to  have  had  a  fair  education  in  music,  as  we 
know  he  did;  and  to  have  distinguished  himself  as  a  solo  violinist,  as  we 
know  he  did;  and  to  have  added  to  this  a  record  as  leader  of  a  chamber 
quartette  of  exceptional  excellence  for  ten  years,  as  we  know  he  did;  and, 
still  farther,  to  have  added  to  all  these  a  record  as  director  of  one  of  the 
most  celebrated  orchestras  in  the  world,  celebrated  alike  for  finish  of 
technique  and  general  balance  of  interpretation,  dealing,  moreover,  with  a 
repertory  embracing   every   important   composition   for  orchestra    ever 

374 


C/Jv'}^     ^CiM'cc-ccy^      /^C4j^^/u^ 


375 


published  —  if  all  these  could  not  make  him  a  musician,  or  prove  him  to 
be  one,  will  the  objector  please  specify  the  combination  of  instruction  and 
experience  in  his  opinion  sufficient  to  perform  the  function  of  him? 
Likewise  it  was  with  Mr.  Dwight.  Gifted  originally  with  a  fine  suscep- 
tibility for  poetry  and  music,  hearing  all  the  best  artists,  not  alone  in 
public,  but  in  private,  for  fiftj'-  j'ears,  listening  carefully  to  everything  as 
one  who  must  immediately  give  an  account  —  for  the  recording  angel  is 
close  after  the  musical  critic  —  if  a  training  of  this  kind  will  not  make  him 
musical,  may  we  be  permitted  to  ask  what  would  ? 

The  weakness  of  Mr.  Dwight  was  his  non-progressiveness.  It  was 
this  quality  which  lost  him  the  sympathy  of  the  younger  generation  of 
musicians.  Music  is  upon  the  increase.  Mr.  Dwight  did  not  sufficiently 
recognize  the  fact.  The  most  conclusive  proof  of  this  charge  is  to  be 
found  in  his  own  valedictory,  published  in  the  closing  number  of  his 
journal  in  1881,  when  he  said,  substantiall}^  that  the  journal  had  been 
established  for  the  purpose  of  advocating  the  claims  of  certain  composers, 
who  had  now  become  sufficiently  recognized;  there  being  no  other  compos- 
ers coming  upon  the  stage  of  like  excellence,  his  mission  was  ended. 

John  Sullivan  Dwight. 

This  eminent  musical  litterateur  and  musical  critic  was  bom  at  Bos- 
ton, Mass.,  May  13,  18 13.  He  was  educated  at  Harvard  College,  with  a 
view  to  entering  the  ministry,  and  after  graduating,  prepared  himself  for 
the  sacred  calling  at  Cambridge  Theological  School.  After  six  years  of 
church  work,  however,  he  gave  way  to  the  natural  bent  of  his  talent,  and 
concluding,  finally,  to  devote  his  life  work  to  literature  and  music,  he 
joined  the  "Brook  Farm"  community  in  1842.  Here  he  was  editor  of 
the  musical  department  of  the  Harbhiger,  a  periodical  published  at  Brook 
Farm,  and  also  frequently  contributed  able  and  analytical  critiques  to  the 
Boston  daily  papers,  thus  doing  much  to  stir  up  an  appreciation  of  the 
higher  classes  of  music,  and  to  form  the  public  taste  in  an  upward  direc- 
tion. Ten  years  later  he  established  DwighV s  Journal  of  Music,  a 
publication  of  a  high  order  of  excellence,  and  of  European  as  well  as  of 
American  reputation.  For  six  years  he  remained  editor,  publisher  and 
proprietor  of  this  publication,  when  the  proprietarj'  interest  was  assumed 
by  Oliver  Ditson.  Mr.  Dwight  continued  its  editorial  management  up 
to  1883,  when  it  ceased  to  exist.  In  its  republication  of  articles  from  the 
best  European  journals,  home  and  foreign  correspondence,  and  in  the 
valuable  contributions  with  which  its  pages  were  filled,  it  did  a  great  and 
important  .ser\'ice  to  the  cause  of  musical  progress,  and  had  much  to  do 
with  the  formation  of  public  opinion  upon  musical  aflFairs.     He  has  ever 

376 


been  a  zealous  and  indefatigable  promoter  of  a  true  appreciation  of 
Beethoven  in  symphony,  and  Handel  in  oratorio,  and  has  been  an  active 
member  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  of  Boston.  Mr.  Dwight's  zeal 
in  the  cause  of  foreign  classical  music,  has,  in  our  judgment,  led  him  into 
the  error  of  being  unable  to  regard  with  the  eyes  of  just  appreciation 
those  musical  efforts  which  are  strictly  American,  and  this  to  such  an 
extent  that  he  has  been  accused  of  prejudice  against  native  talent.  He 
has,  however,  been  undoubtedly  conscientious  in  all  his  musical-critical 
■  work,  and  this  fault  has  been  simply  due  to  an  enthusiasm  of  devotion 
to  the  European  classical  masters  that  has  blinded  him  to  excellences  in 
other  walks  of  the  art  of  even  greater  importance  to  the  work  of  musical 
development  in  America.  Mr.  Dwight's  services  to  the  cause  of  music, 
however,  are  extensive  and  indisputable.  The  files  of  his  Journal  of 
Music  form  to-day  one  of  the  best  and  most  reliable  works  of  reference 
available  to  the  student  of  American  musical  history.  For  some  years 
past  Mr.  Dwight  has  been  librarian  of  the  Harvard  Musical  Association, 
and  here  in  the  company  of  the  undying  works  of  the  old  masters,  to 
whose  fame  his  life  has  been  largely  devoted,  he  passes  the  serene  autumn 
of  his  years,  continuing  at  his  leisure  his  literary  activit)^  and  usefulness. 
Another  well  known  name  in  this  department  is  that  of  the  late  edi- 
tor of  the  ^r^yi^/^rwa/ bearing  his  name,  Mr.  H.  C.  Watson. 

Henry  C.  Watson. 
Mr.  Watson's  life  is  well  worth  studying.  It  is  the  life  of  a  hard- 
working, ambitious  man,  who,  having  many  opportunities,  rarely  failed  to 
see  and  seize  them.  It  shows,  too,  how  a  man's  strong  will,  ever  striving 
toward  a  desired  end,  may  overcome  fortune.  Providence,  or  whatever 
men  choose  to  call  the  guiding  chance  of  life.  Henry  C.  Watson  was 
born  in  London  in  1815,  the  j^ear  when  the  "  Europe-darkening  wing  "  of 
Napoleon's  mighty  eagle  was  broken  forever  on  the  field  of  Waterloo. 
His  father,  John  Watson,  was  the  chorus  master  of  Covent  Garden  thea- 
tre, perhaps,  if  one  considers  it  rightly  and  its  surrounding,  most  striking 
of  all  theatres.  Within  a  stone's  throw  is  the  oldest  and  busiest  street  of 
the  busiest  and  wealthiest  citj'  in  the  world  ;  within  a  stone' 5  throw,  on  the 
other  side,  is  a  great  market,  with  its  wealth  of  flowers  and  plants,  smell- 
ing of  country'  lanes,  and  bringing  a  strong  breath  of  fresh,  pure  air  into 
the  smoky  turmoil ;  within  a  stone's  throw,  in  another  direction,  may  be 
found  the  filthiest,  noisiest,  most  degraded  dens  of  vice  and  corruption  to 
be  seen  anywhere  on  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and,  in  the  theatre  itself  the 
•  stor>-  of  love,  the  pantomime,  where  everything  ends  happily  in  the  great 
transformation  scene,  has  been  played  —  how  often  ? 


\ 


Young  Watson's  earliest  associations  were  natuially  with  artists  and 
musicians,  for  everj^  Bohemian  in  London  may  be  found  in  and  around 
Covent  Garden  theatre.  He  had  an  exquisite  voice,  and  at  his  first 
appearance,  as  one  of  the  leading  fairies  in  the  opera  of  Oberon,  produced 
under  Weber's  direction  at  the  theatre,  he  made  such  an  impression  that 
the  duchess  of  St.  Albans  called  him  to  her  box  and  congratulated  him 
on  his  singing.  Henry  Bishop,  the  conductor,  also  complimented  him 
in  public  and  fired  his  young  am1)ition.  For  some  years  he  sang  con- 
stantly, and  at  the  same  time  devoted  himself  with  ardor  to  the  study  of 
music  under  Kearns,  Edward  J.  Loder  and  his  father.  But  in  the  course 
of  human  events  his  voice  broke,  and  in  his  trouble  at  the  event  he 
shipped  before  the  mast  for  a  voyage  to  the  Mediterranean.  It  was  a  leap 
from  the  "frying  pan  into  the  fire,"  and  when  the  voyage  was  done  the 
the  lad  was  well  content  to  stay  on  land  in  future.  He  now  settled  down 
to  the  serious  study  of  music,  but  his  tastes  also  led  him  in  literarj'  paths, 
and  he  attempted  poetic  composition,  some  of  his  efforts  in  this  direction 
being  verj-  successful. 

But  Watson  was  not  content  to  sit  down  and  wait  for  fame  to  come 
to  him.  He  wanted  to  search  her  out.  So  in  1840  he  came  to  America, 
armed  with  letters  of  introduction  to  such  men  as  William  CuUen  Brj-ant, 
George  P.  Morris,  Parke  Benjamin  and  Horace  Greeley.  Under  Mr. 
Benjamin,  Watson  first  found  occupation  in  New  York  as  art  and  musical 
critic  of  the  A'ew  World,  a  paper  in  which  Horace  Greeley  was  also 
interested.  He  also  wrote  contributions  upon  musical  topics  to  the 
New  Mirror,  a  weekly  paper  devoted  to  literature  and  the  fine  arts, 
edited  by  George  P.  Morris  and  N.  P.  Willis.  His  first  paper  was  a 
popular  lecture  on  music,  which  was  delivered  at  the  Vocal  Institute, 
under  the  direction  of  George  L,oder,  Watson's  brother-in-law,  who 
was  conductor  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Society.  He  became 
musical  critic  of  the  New  York  Albion,  the  greatest  literary-  authority  of 
the  times,  and  remained  in  charge  of  the  musical  department  for  several 
5'ears.  In  1843  ^^^  took  editorial  charge  of  the  Musical  Chro7iiclc,  and 
four  years  later  we  find  him  editing  a  weekl}'  paper  called  the  American 
Musical  Times.  His  criticisms  were  always  brilliant  and  striking,  and 
they  attracted  no  little  attention,  so  that  work  flowed  in  upon  the  young 
writer. 

Watson  was  now  very  busily  engaged.  He  was  writing  musical  and 
art  criticisms  for  a  number  of  papers,  was  also  acting  as  a  news  gatherer, 
and  in  addition  to  his  pro.se  writing  he  was  composing  lyrical  music  and 
writing  verses.  He  embarked  upon  various  literary  ventures,  but  none 
of   them  lasted  very  long.      The  most  noteworthy  was  the   Broadway 


Henry  C.  Watsox. 


379 


Journal,  started  by  Watson  in  conjunction  with  Charles  Briggs  and  Edgar 
Allan  Poe,  but  this,  like  the  others,  was  too  far  ahead  of  the  time,  at  least 
did  not  meet  the  want  of  the  time,  and  succumbed  to  fate.  From  1863  to 
1867  Mr.  Watson  was  musical  critic  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  He  was 
at  this  time  recognized  as  the  ablest  musical  critic  in  the  country,  and  his 
judgment  was  the  final  court  of  appeal  in  musical  matters.  He  started 
the  American  Art  Journal  in  1863,  and  soon  compelled  success.  The 
paper  rapidly  became  a  recognized  authority,  and  to  it  Mr.  Watson 
devoted  the  larger  portion  of  his  time,  until  1870,  when  he  began  to  feel 
the  effects  of  the  continuous  strain  to  which  he  had  subjected  himself  for 
so  many  years,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  drop  all  other  work  and  occupy 
himself  entirel}'  with  the  A?-t  Journal. 

During  these  3'ears  Mr.  Watson  was  engaged  in  manj'  enterprises. 
He  was  the  first  editor-in-chief  of /v-aw^'  Leslie's  Illustrated  A- eivspaper; 
one  of  the  proprietors  and  founders  of  the  New  York  Philharmonic 
Society ;  originator  of  the  American  Musical  Fund  Society;  organizer  of 
the  Mendelssohn  Union;  spokesman  at  receptions  given  to  Jennj^  Lind, 
Henrietta  Sontag,  Catharine  Hayes,  aid  other  great  singers;  author  of 
the  libretto  to  Lurline,  William  Vincent  Wallace's  opera;  organizer  of 
the  Mendelssohn  memorial  concert,  which  was  held  at  Castle  Garden 
and  was  attended  by  ten  thousand  persons;  and  one  of  the  most  active 
agents  in  the  attempt  to  produce  a  worthy  American  opera,  only,  unfor- 
tunatel}-,  just  as  everj^thing  was  read\'  for  the  production  of  Rip  Van 
lFi7ikle  at  the  Academy  of  Music,  the  building  was  burned,  and  the 
project  had  to  be  abandoned.  In  December,  1875,  his  bus)^  career  was 
ended  bj- death.  His  literary  and  musical  work,  though,  as  to  the  latter, 
he  never  pretended  to  be  more  than  a  writer  of  songs  and  pianoforte  pieces, 
formed  quite  a  library  when  he  had  collected  them  together.  Dr.  John 
Savage  says  of  him  that,  "As  a  composer  his  works  were  distinguished 
by  a  delicious  vein  of  melod}-,  not  less  than  by  all  the  cultivated  resources 
and  demands  of  harmony.  Some  of  his  songs  are  perfect  gems.  When 
he  wrote  on  musical  art  he  wrote  with  consummate  knowledge  and  with 
a  deep  sympathy  for  all  tliat  is  most  elevating,  charming  and  correct  in 
musical  thought.  As  he  was  an  able  critic  he  was  a  conscientious  one, 
and  strove  sometimes  to  achieve  by  generosity  that  which  could  not  be 
encouraged  by  severity." 

William  M.  Thoms. 

The  present  editor  and  publisher  of  the  American  Art  Journal  was 
born  in  New  York,  June  6,  1850.  He  received  a  classical  education,  and 
.studied  singing,  piano  and  violin,  before  entering  upon  his  career  in  mu- 

3S0 


OpkO^M^ 


^^<_ 


381 


skal  jaanialism.  He  was  attaclied  to  tbe  Amuriam  Art  Journal  in  the 
^ving  of  1S67.  and  three  moaths  later  when  he  was  stQl  only  seventeen 
years  old.  became  its  pnblisher.  In  1S70  he  bionght  oat  TTte  Jaumat  cf 
the  D*r,  the  first  daily  musical  paper  ever  issued  in  the  United  States, 
and  ran  it  for  aboat  ^gfateen  months.  It  gave  criticisms  <m  the  last 
night's  musical  perfaiuiances,  the  news  of  the  profession,  etc  Henry  C 
Watson,  the  fofonder  of  The  Atmcriium  Ari  Journal^  died  in  1875,  when 
"Six.  Thorns  toc^  editonal  charge  oS.  the  paper,  and  agnalized  his  advent 
by  advocating  a  recognition  erf"  Amoican  OHnposeis,  a  policy  which  he 
has  kdknred  ever  since.  Mr.  Thorns  was  the  first  to  print  the  essays  of 
nmskaans  delivered  be&He  the  Moac  Teachers'  National  Assodation. 

In  1S77-7S  he  edited  and  published  a  large  qnarto,  in  fiMty-eight 
parts,  of  twenty-foor  pages  each,  oititled  Tlu  World  of  Ari,  its  eminent 
men  and  women,  whidi  received  waita  critical  commendation,  bat  caused 
its  poblisher  a  loss  of  $7,000.  In  his  introdnctioa  Mr.  Thonis  sa\-s: 
'*  We  can  now  ciaim  to  be  creative  in  musical  scieaace;  and  it  will  be  cor 
esideavor  in  The  World  of  Art  to  show  the  progress  we  have  actually 
made  in  the  role  of  ocattxs.  F<m'  a  nation  of  a  century's  growth  Amer- 
ica has  done  mosie  in  that  time  to  encoorage  and  develop  the  '  fine  arts ' 
than  has  been  recjided  in  the  history  of  any  other  nation."  The  first 
munber  contained  sketxfhes  and  portraits  of  George  F.  Bristow,  Hdwin 
Booth,  Hiram  Powers,  Anton  Rnlnnstein.  Ezama  Albani  and  Wm.  Cullen 
Bryaat.  Bnt  the  interest  in  art  was  not  so  general  at  that  time  as  to 
make  such  a  work  soccessfuL  Since  that  time  Mr.  Thorns  has  confined 
his  literary  effi>-rts  exdnavely  to  the  columns  of  the  Amtrrican  Art  Jour- 
nal, in  -wldcfa  be  does  all  the  criticisins  on  current  musical  matters.  He 
is  a  (dear  and  interesting  writer,  and  as  he  is  still  a  yonng  man,  much 
may  be  esqtecfeed  of  him  in  the  feture. 

J.  T5LA\-is  ynGO. 

The  widl  known  joomalist.  wtis  engaged  by  the  Mnskal  Mntnal  Pn>- 
tective  Union,  of  Xew  York,  in  the  sommer  of  1SS5,  as  editor  and  mana- 
ger of  its  «ifiiria1  Ofgan,  a  iH-manthly,  called  The  American  Music  Journal, 
tbe  first  onmber  of  which  had  been  issoed  Dec  6,  18S4.  Under  Mr. 
Qn^g'smaiLi-^-e— e-:  it  was  madeawe^ly  injannary,  18S6,  and  athissug- 
gestjon  the  title  wa^^  cjianged  to  its  present  name  The  Awterican  Musician. 
On  Jan.  i,  1S37.  Mr.  Quigg  pordiased  the  jHoperty  frtm  the  Mn^cal 
Union,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  February  of  the  same  year  he  associated 
witli  lifnyaplf  tbe  wdl  known  joomalist,  Mr.  Jno.  C.  Frennd.  Since  then. 
The  Amerjcmm  Mustdam  has  steadily  increased  in  size,  circulation  and 
infntr.  :e   until  it  has  reacjied  its  present  positicni  (1889)  as  a  rqnesenta- 


/T/O^^ 


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V       ^ 


tive  musical  journal  of  America.  Mr.  Quigg  received  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, and  was  a  member  of  the  law  class  of  the  university  of  Pennsyl- 
vania when  the  civil  war  broke  out.  The  late  Col.  Jno.  W.  Forney 
offered  him  a  position  in  Washington,  as  war  correspondent  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Press,  which  his  predilection  for  journalism  induced  him  to 
accept.  When  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  made  its  celebrated  move  to 
Fortress  Monroe,  Mr.  Quigg  as  correspondent  of  the  New  York  World, 
ran  the  blockade  of  the  Potomac,  and  arrival  at  Old  Point  Comfort  in 
advance  of  McClellan's  army,  and,  later,  after  the  first  engagement  in 
front  of  Yorktown,  made  a  journey  riding  all  night  on  horseback,  through 
the  woods  in  the  midst  of  a  drenching  rain  storm,  to  place  his  dispatches 
of  the  first  engagement  on  the  Baltimore  boat,  which  left  Old  Point  Com- 
fort in  the  early  morning  —  an  enterprise  which  landed  him  as  a  prisoner 
in  Fortress  Monroe.  After  his  release  Mr.  Quigg  rejoined  the  army  as 
correspondent  of  the  New  York  Times,  serving  also  during  the  Peninsu- 
lar campaign  as  volunteer  aide,  as  well  as  correspondent.  Mr.  Quigg 
studied  music  as  an  accomplishment,  and  has  written  many  vocal  and 
instrumental  compositions,  a  number  of  which  have  been  published  and 
obtained  considerable  popular  favor.  He  has  been  identified  with  several 
musical  enterprises,  notably  the  inauguration  of  the  Thomas  orchestral 
concerts  in  1876,  at  the  Forrest  Mansion  Gardens,  in  Philadelphia.  At 
various  times  during  his  journalistic  career  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
leading  daily  papers  of  Philadelphia,  as  well  as  with  the  Cleveland 
Leader,  Kansas  City  Times,  St.  Louis  Critic,  Chicago  Daily  Herald,  New 
York  Morning  Journal,  Friends'   Weekly,  etc. 

Frank  Danford  Abbott 

Was  born  in  Windsor  county,  Vermont,  Jan.  29,  1853.  Early  in  life 
he  was  inclined  toward  music  and  literature.  He  studied  the  pianoforte, 
organ,  theory,  etc.,  under  able  masters,  and  commenced  when  quite 
young  to  teach  music  himself  to  some  extent,  but  soon  relinquished  that 
occupation  to  take  a  position  with  Geo.  Woods  &  Co.,  organ  manu- 
facturers, at  Boston.  In  1872  this  firm  opened  a  branch  establishment  in 
Chicago,  where  Mr.  Abbott  has  made  his  home  since  that  time.  He  did 
considerable  work  on  the  Vox  Htimana,  a  journal  of  music  published  by  the 
firm,  and  advanced  its  interests  in  the  west  very  materially'.  In  1884  Mr. 
Abbott  established  the  Presto  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  but  coming  to  the. 
conclusion  that  Chicago  would  be  a  much  more  desirable  centre  of  opera- 
tions, he  removed  his  journal  to  that  city  in  June,  1888.  Since  that  time 
the  paper  has  continued  to  grow  steadily  in  prosperity  and  influence,  and 
shows  every  evidence  of  vigorous  vitality. 

3S4 


3^^^ 


385 


J.   O.    VON  Prochaszka. 

This  accomplished  musician,  editor  and  composer  was  born  in  Russia 
in  1854.  He  pursued  his  musical  studies  at  the  Vienna  Conservatory  ot 
Music,  and  also  studied  literature  and  philosophy  at  the  university  of  the 
same  citj'.  His  compositions  include  over  fortj'  pieces  published  in  Ger- 
many and  about  fifty-six  published  in  the  United  States.  He  is  the  pub- 
lisher of  the  elegant  American  Elite  Editions  of  vocal  and  instrumental 
music. 

Mr.  von  Prochaszka  is  now  the  sole  editor  of  The  Keynote,  a  monthly 
review,  published  in  New  York,  devoted  to  music,  art  and  literature. 
This  paper  was  was  founded  nine  j-ears  ago  by  Mr.  Fred.  Archer,  the  cele- 
brated English  organist.  Its  aim  is  to  encourage  American  composers 
and  their  works.  Under  its  present  management  it  has  at  all  times 
indorsed  worthj-  American  in  preference  to  foreign  enterprises.  It  maj' 
be  of  interest  to  the  reader  to  state  that  Mr.  Arthur  Sullivan,  the  well 
known  composer,  considers  The  Keynote  \\\q  best  musical  paper  published. 
Coming  from  such  a  source,  this  is  certainly  a  testimonial  of  the  highest 
value. 

Harry  B.  Smith. 

The  versatile  and  popular  librettist,  Harr}-  B.  Smith  was  bom  in 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  in  1861.  He  was  nine  5^ears  old  when  he  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chicago  under  parental  guidance  ;  and  after  finishing  his 
education  at  the  public  schools,  he  went  into  a  mercantile  house.  The 
routine  of  business  proved  uncongenial  to  his  tastes,  and  as  he  had  played 
successfull}'  in  amateur  theatricals,  he  concluded  to  adopt  the  stage  as  a 
profession.  With  this  view  he  joined  the  Lingard  Companj-,  and,  later 
went  to  New  York,  singing  for  two  seasons,  in  comic  opera,  in  various 
companies  on  the  road,  playing  the  second  comedj-  parts.  Subsequently 
he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  engaged  in  newspaper  work,  contributing  to 
several  papers  and  periodicals.  He  wrote  verses  and  stories,  and  two 
comic  opera  librettos,  both  of  which  met  with  fair  success — Rosita;  or, 
Cupid  and  Cupidity,  produced  by  Fay  Templeton  in  1883.  Amarillis; 
or.  Mammon  and  Gammoji,  presented  in  Milwaukee,  and  verj'^  favorably 
received. 

Toward  the  close  of  1884  Mr.  Smith  conceived  the  idea  of  starting  a 
paper  in  Chicago,  and  established  The  Rambler,  a  comic  weekly.  He 
still  finds  leisure  to  pursue  his  musical  studies,  and  has  written  over  two 
hundred  songs,  besides  numerous  burlesque  and  stage  pieces,  which  have 
met  with  great  success.  He  has  also  translated  several  operas  for  stage 
managers,  among  others,,  Delibes'  Lc  Roi  Va  Dit,  for  Mr.  C.  D.  Hess; 
and  Strauss'   Ein  Nacht  in    Venedig,  for  Mr.  J.  C.  Duff.     Recently  he 

386 


387 


sold  an  original  opera  —  a  military  satire  —  called  Fort  Caramel,  to  W.  T. 
Carleton,  the  baritone,  who  intends  to  produce  it  shortly.  He  also  wrote 
the  librettos  for  The  Begum,  Boccaccio,  Fatinitza,  The  May  Oiccen  and 
Clover,  all  produced  by  the  McCauU  Company.  He  has  just  finished 
Captain  Fracasse,  the  next  opera  to  be  played  by  the  McCauU  Company, 
and  has  written  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Reginald  DeKoven,  Don  Quixote, 
which  will  be  played  by  the  Bostonians.  The  Sea  King,  by  Richard 
Stahl  and  Mr.  Smith,  is  another  new  opera  to  be  produced  some  time 
during  the  coming  season.  Possessing  the  great  advantage  of  stage 
experience,  and  with  his  natural  gifts  and  versatile  talent,  Mr.  Smith  is 
well  fitted  for  success  in  his  chosen  line  of  work. 

Albert  G.  Emerick. 

Mr.  Albert  G.  Emerick,  who  has  a  national  reputation  as  a  musician, 
critic  and  connoisseur,  was  born  in  Philadelphia  Nov.  23,  18 17.  His 
father  was  a  successful  merchant  and  an  amateur  musician  of  unusual 
attainments.  His  family  is  believed  to  be  a  branch  of  the  Saxe-Weimar 
family  of  German}-.  The  Emericks  came  here  from  Germany  originallj^ 
but  have  lived  in  America  for  four  generations,  some  of  his  ancestors 
having  held  commissions  in  the  army  in  the  revolutionary^  war.  His 
grandfather  was  organist  at  Zion  Lutheran  church,  at  Philadelphia,  though 
he  was  not  a  professional  musician.  Mr.  Albert  Emerick' s  musical  studies 
were  pursued  with  Thomas  Carr,  an  English  organist  of  excellent  reputa- 
tion, with  Joseph  Laws,  W.  H.  \V.  Darley  and  Signor  Phil.  Trajetta. 
His  early  education  was  based  upon  the  supposition  that  he  would  become 
a  civil  engineer,  but  his  musical  predilections  were  strong,  and  he  studied 
music  diligently.  At  the  early  age  of  fifteen  he  was  offered  a  position  as 
organist.  His  style  of  playing  made  him  many  admirers,  but  he  was 
freely  criticised  b}'  the  public  journals  for  his  departure  from  the  conven- 
tionalities of  the  regular  German  school.  His  compositions  in  the  line 
of  church  music  have  been  Six  Sacred  Senteyices  and  a  number  of  hymns. 
Yet  unpublished  are  a  Service  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  several  other 
works.  He  has  also  written  a  great  deal  of  dance  music,  some  of  which 
has  become  very  popular.  Mr  Emerick  has  also  written  songs  and 
ballads,  most  of  which  have  been  published  unacknowledged  by  their 
author.  About  1841  he  was  induced  to  edit  Songs  for  the  People,  which 
had  no  special  musical  merit,  but  proved  to  be  very  profitable  to  him. 
About  1 848  he  began  to  write  for  the  press,  and  has  been  on  the  editorial 
stafi"  of  several  prominent  papers;  he  was  correspondent  to  Dwight's 
Boston  fournal  and  J.  C.  Freund's  New  York  Music  and  Drama.  Several 
of  his  ambitious  MSS.  remain  unpublished.     In  1850  he  became  manager 


of  classical  concerts  of  Carl  Wolfsohn,  Theo.  Thomas,  Ole  Bull,  Anna 
Jackson,  Antonio  Barilli  and  others;  in  1867  he  established  weekly 
orchestra  concerts  in  collaboration  with  Carl  Sentz,  and  was  rewarded 
with  eminent  success.  In  1880  he  retired  from  the  practical  pursuit  of 
his  profession,  and  is  now  devoting  his  entire  time  to  literary  work.  He 
visited  Europe  frequently,  but  never  studied  abroad.  Mr.  Emerick  has 
enjoyed  a  long  and  useful  career,  and  although  he  is  seventy-two  years  of 
age,  he  is  as  energetic  as  ever,  and  as  enthusiastic  for  the  cause  of  the 
art  to  which  he  has  given  so  many  years  of  faithful  service. 

Theodore  Presser. 

We  shall  find,  even  while  resting  "  by  the  shores  of  old  Romance," 
reading  tales  of  the  round  table  or  of  Roland  and  his  chivalry,  few  ex- 
amples of  daring  perseverance  in  face  of  all  obstacles  better  worth  study- 
ing than  the  careers  of  some  of  our  own  self-made  men.  The  glor>'  of 
the  knight  of  old,  that  which  makes  him  so  precious  in  our  eyes,  is  that 
he  was  "self  made;"  that  his  golden  spurs  were  not  buyable,  but  were 
won  by  blood  and  blows,  and  were  to  be  gained  none  other  wa3\  So 
with  our  men  of  brain  to-day.  They  must  win  by  force  of  deeds  what- 
ever honor  the  world  accords  them.  "  The  world's  mine  oyster,  which  I 
with  my  sword  will  open,"  said  Theodore  Presser,  teacher,  writer,  pub- 
lisher, as  he  stood  on  the  threshold  of  his  career.  He  has  fulfilled  his 
prophecy,  and  of  no  man  can  higher  praise  be  given  than  to  say:  "  That 
which  his  brain  hath  conceived,  that  hath  his  hand  achieved. ' '  His  musical 
education  was  derived  from  the  best  teachers  in  Boston,  and  later  at 
the  Leipzig  Conservatory.  For  two  j^ears  Mr.  Presser  was  piano  teacher 
at  the  Methodist  University,  Delaware,  O. ;  the  following  three  years  he 
spent  at  the  Hollins  Institute,  Hollins,  Va.,  and  afterward  a  like  period 
at  the  Xenia  College.  He  has  won  a  rare  name  as  a  teacher.  He  is  one 
of  those  men  who  form  their  own  high  ideals,  and  by  constant  striving 
win  as  near  to  them  as  human  nature  can. 

During  his  years  of  teaching  Mr.  Presser  has  learnt  all  the  needs  of 
teacher  and  pupil,  and  this  fact  alone  lends  to  the  pages  of  his  journal, 
The  Etude,  a  power  that  no  other  educational  nuisical  paper  possesses. 
His  contributors  are  among  the  best  known  men  in  the  country,  and  the 
publication,  now  entered  upon  the  sixth  year  of  existence,  has  maintained 
a  fine  independence  of  tone,  rare  among  class  papers.  The  Music 
Teachers'  National  Association  was  founded  largely  by  Mr.  Presser  at 
Delaware  during  the  Christmas  holidays  of  1876.  The  absolute  need  of 
such  an  association  is  shown  by  two  facts,  one,  that  it  has  grown  from 
small  beginnings,  till  its  recent  meetings  at  Boston,   Indianapolis  and 

390 


^/^(:'U  rf^.    ,£^^K,.^^r-r<^^ 


391 


Chicago  have  been  attended  by  more  than  a  thousand  members,  and  the 
other,  that  its  grand  orchestral  concerts  have  lent  a  wonderful  impetus  to 
serious  composition.  As  writer  and  teacher  Mr.  Presser  has  ever  been 
an  idealist,  often  taking  a  book  or  a  work  purely  upon  its  intrinsic 
merits,  caring  little  for  its  money  promise.  Mr.  John  S.  Van  Cleve  in 
American  Art  Journal  says:  "No  musician  in  the  land,  who  loves 
his  art  with  a  true  heart,  is  free  from  obligation  to  this  self-sacrificing, 
tenacious  worker  in  the  domain  of  music,  and  all  must  wish  him  God- 
speed. His  genial,  warm-hearted  friendliness,  smiling  and  glad  to  counsel 
and  aid  all  who  are  struggling  upward;  his  steady,  unflinching  mainte- 
nance of  the  good  and  the  earnest  against  all  shallowness  and  charlatanism; 
his  willingness  to  do  the  drudgeries  of  education,  whether  it  be  in  disci- 
plining the  refractory  fingers  of  some  struggling,  timid  tyro,  or  of  turning 
out  the  myriad  letters  of  a  public  secretary,  or  in  the  details  of  a  journal 
and  publishing  house,  combine  to  render  Mr.  Presser  one  of  the  notable 
men  of  the  country,  and  few  workers  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Muses  could 
be  spared  so  ill  as  Theodore  Presser,  teacher,  writer,  publisher." 

William  F.  Sherwin. 

This  eminent  conductor  and  composer  was  born  at  Buckland,  Mass., 
1826,  and  died  at  Boston,  April  14,  1888.  His  musical  propensities  were 
developed  very  early  in  life,  and  while  a  mere  lad  he  began  playing  the 
bass  viol  in  a  choir.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  became  conductor  of  the 
same  choir.  In  1851  he  became  professor  of  music  in  Claverack  Sem- 
inary^, in  Hudson,  N.  Y.,  and  during  the  same  time  taught  in  the  Female 
Academy  and  in  the  public  schools,  besides  conducting  musical  societies. 
His  activity  was  unceasing  and  his  energy  apparently  unlimited.  In  1855 
he  removed  to  Albanj^  where,  for  a  period  of  ten  j-ears,  he  was  connected 
with  the  Female  Academy  and  had  charge  of  the  music  in  the  Pearl  street 
Baptist  church.  While  here  he  continued  to  be  active  in  conducting 
musical  societies  and  conventions,  and  also  engaged  in  the  music  business. 
Owing  to  the  unfavorable  influence  of  the  climate  upon  his  throat,  he 
was  compelled  to  remove  to  New  York,  where  he  engaged  as  general 
manager  of  Firth's  music  store.  He  made  his  headquarters  in  New 
York  for  a  period  of  fifteen  years,  being  connected  for  some  time  with 
Bigelow  &  Main,  who  published  his  first  book,  Bright  Jcivcis,  which,  with 
one  exception,  had  the  largest  sale  of  any  work  of  the  kind  up  to  that 
time.  He  was  also  engaged  with  Scribner  &  Co.  for  a  period  as  musical 
editor,  and  in  all  this  work  continually  by  his  conscientious  labor  and  the 
high  qualitj^  of  his  musical  ability,  augmented  his  reputation  in  the 
musical  world.    During  his  residence  in  New  York,  he  became  profoundly 

392 


William  F.  Sherwin. 


393 


impressed,  with  the  need  of  a  higher  class  of  music  in  Sunday  school 
work,  and  accepting  the  work  of  reform  and  improvement  in  this  walk  of 
musical  life  as  a  Christian  duty,  he  gave  up  the  higher  and  more  classic 
fonns  of  music,  to  which  his  artistic  instinct  strongly  drew  him,  and  dev^oted, 
it  may  be  said,  the  best  eflfort  of  the  balance  of  his  life  to  this  purpose.  His 
services  to  the  cause  of  music  in  the  Sunday  school  and  the  Sunday 
school  convention  were  pursued  with  all  the  zeal  of  an  ardent  and  sincere 
nature,  and  were  not  only  rewarded  with  great  immediate  success,  but 
had  a  far-reaching  influence  in  fostering  a  more  extended  knowledge  of 
the  correct  elementary  principles  of  music,  and  thus  enlarging  the  sphere 
of  musical  culture.  After  leaving  New  York,  he  was  for  some  time  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  John  Church  &  Co.,  of  Cincinnati,  continuing 
here,  as  elsewhere  throughout  his  career,  to  write  and  publish  music. 
The  last  four  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  Boston,  where  he  was  con- 
nected with  the  New  England  Conser\'atorj-,  and  also  with  the  editorial 
department  of  the  Musical  Herald,  which  said  of  him,  on  his  death: 
"  He  was  a  man  of  great  geniality  in  his  social  life,  an  excellent  and  sug- 
gestive talker,  full  of  ready  wit,  and  broad  in  his  sj^mpathy.  His  qualifi- 
cations as  chorus  leader  and  drill  master  were  extraordinary-,  not  least 
among  which  were  his  personal  influence  and  his  power  to  keep  his  fol- 
lowers interested  and  eager  and  industrious.  His  memory  will  linger  long 
after  the  vacant  place  has  been  filled." 

John  S.  Vax  Cleve. 

Whenever  nature  takes  anything  away  from  one  of  her  family  she 
always  gives  something  in  recompense.  It  may  be  thought  that  nothing 
can  compensate  for  loss  of  sight,  but  Nature  finds  a  way  of  making  some 
amends.  Perhaps  if  Milton  had  not  been  blind  the  world  had  never 
known  Paradise  Lost.  The  amount  of  netA^ous  energy'  that  men  expend 
through  their  eyes  is,  in  the  blind,  turned  to  other  account,  notably  is 
used  to  augment  the  .sense  of  hearing  and  the  power  of  memory.  Thus 
a  blind  musician  has  a  certain  advantage  over  his  brethren,  for  his  ear 
can  detect  finer  shades  of  harmony,  more  subtle  tones,  than  theirs.  Van 
Cleve  is  a  living  example  of  this.  He  was  born  in  1851  at  Maysville, 
Ky.,  the  eldest  of  four  children  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  L.  F.  Van  Cleve.  He 
lost  his  sight,  when  he  was  only  eight  years  old,  from  a  long  and  intricate 
chain  of  infantile  diseases.  He  went  to  the  Institute  for-the  Blind  at 
Columbus,  in  1862,  and  stayed  there  for  five  j'ears,  after  which  he  com- 
pleted his  education  at  the  Woodward  high  school,  Cincinnati,  Delaware 
University  and  Boston  University.  From  1872  to  1875  he  taught  music 
in  the  Institute  for  the  Blind  at  Columbus,  then,  for  the  next  four  years, 

394 


Geo.  Henchel. 


in  the  institute  at  Janesville,  Wis.,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  Hving 
at  Cincinnati. 

What  roused  his  love  of  music  was  the  hearing  of  Beethoven's  sixth 
symphony,  and  his  literary  enthusiasm,  the  first  hearing  of  Milton's 
Paradise  Lost.  His  life  has  always  been  that  of  a  student,  and  he  is, 
both  by  nature  and  environment,  intensely  introspective.  One  of  his 
favorite  amusements,  when  a  little  invalid  of  eight  or  nine,  was  to  sit  in 
a  darkened  room,  and  holding  a  book  in  his  hand,  read  fluentlj'  from 
memory  fairj'  stories  and  the  like  read  aloud  to  him  previously.  Reading 
is  an  absolute  passion  with  him,  and  the  two  loves  of  music  and  literature 
still  contend  for  the  masterj'  of  him,  the  scales  hanging  in  perfect  equi- 
poise. He  teaches  voice,  piano  and  theory,  and  is  eniinenth'  successful 
in  each.  He  is  also  a  lecturer  and  a  teacher  of  literature  at  the  Cincin- 
nati College  of  Music  and  at  the  conservator}-  there.  His  methods  of 
study  are  peculiarl}'  interesting.  A  trained  reader  tells  him,  as  he  sits  in 
a  chair,  or  paces  the  floor,  the  shape  and  position  of  everj^  note,  which  he 
builds  up  in  his  imagination  and  memory,  then  takes  to  the  keyboard 
and  teaches  to  the  fingers.  Pieces  of  more  than  ordinary  value  he  has 
written  down  in  a  kind  of  tangible  print,  from  which  he  reads  and 
reviews  on  occasion.  This  alphabet  is  made  hy  various  groupings  of 
dots  in  two  rows.  He  also  has  large  quantities  of  literary  extracts  in  the 
same  form,  and  these  he  memorizes  by  the  thousands  of  lines.  He  must 
have  manj^  tens  of  thousands  of  lines  stored  away  in  his  head  in  this 
manner. 

Van  Cleve  describes  his  music  master  at  the  Institute  for  the  Blind  at 
Columbus  as  "  a  queer,  learned,  shy,  proud,  impractical,  dream}-,  charm- 
ing, suspicious  old  man  named  H.  J.  Nothnagel,"  who  wished  him  to 
devote  his  whole  energy  to  music,  and  in  particular  to  composi- 
tion, in  which  the  master  thought  his  pupil  might  hope  for  an  ulti- 
mate rank  equal  to  that  of  Weber.  This  fired  Van  Cleve' s  already 
glowing  dreams,  and  he  planned  many  works,  but  none  of  them  have 
ever  yet  seen  the  light  of  full  and  rounded  realization.  In  1878  he 
brought  out  a  commemoration  ode  and  cantata  (both  words  and  music) 
for  the  unveiling  of  the  Woodward  statue  at  Cincinnati.  This  was 
heartily  admired  and  praised.  A  selection  from  his  piano  and  violin 
sonata  in  E  was  played  by  himself  and  Karl  Hauser  at  Columbus  in  1887, 
and  was  received  with  enthusiasm.  He  is  also  the  composer  of  a  string 
quartette  in  G  minor,  and  of  a  grand  sonata  in  G  sharp  minor.  Besides 
these,  he  has  five  other  works  planned  and  partly  executed,  among  the 
rest  a  symphony  in  A  major.  He  is  a  constant  contributor  to  newspaper 
and  periodical  literature,  and  notably  to    the    Etude.     In    1879   he   was 


y 


cp'Cu^'^'.'^^^  c ,  c^^^^t?-x</^ 


397 


engaged  on  the  regular  staff  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial,  a  post  which 
he  held  till  1883,  when  he  went  over  to  the  N'e-ivs-journal,  of  that  city. 

Van  Cleve  has  given  a  great  many  recitals  in  various  parts  of  the 
country-,  and  is  well  known  as  a  pianist  of  marked  ability.  As  a  teacher 
he  has  also  met  with  deserved  success.  Starting  in  Cincinnati,  in  1880, 
with  two  pupils,  he  now  has  forty.  But  it  is  his  work  as  a  musical  critic 
that  is  most  valuable  and  most  deserv'ing  of  recognition.  That  very 
acuteness  of  hearing  consequent  upon  his  sad  affliction  renders  him  all- 
powerful  as  a  critic,  for  he  is  able  to  perceive  shades  of  tone  that  cannot 
be  detected  by  the  finest  normal  ear,  and  when  this  acuteness  is  joined, 
as  in  Van  Cleve,  to  keen  perception  of  the  beautiful  in  art,  and  eloquent 
power  of  expression  in  words,  his  opinion  commands  immediate  attention. 
A  blind  critic!  Yes;  but  his  blindness  is  the  key  to  his  power.  That  is 
nature's  recompense. 

Louis  C.  Elson. 

The  name  of  Louis  C.  Elson  has  long  been  familiar  in  the  leading 
musical  circles  of  America,  through  his  admirable  lectures  upon  art 
topics  in  various  cities  of  the  Union,  and  before  the  leading  American 
institutes.  He  is  known,  too,  through  a  long  and  useful  career  in  musical 
journalism,  and  also  as  a  prominent  and  successful  teacher  of  the  voice 
and  of  the  theory  of  music,  in  connection  with  the  New  England 
Conserv^atory  of  Music  at  Boston. 

Mr.  Elson  is  a  native  American,  of  German  descent,  and  was  bom  in 
Boston,  April  17,  1848.  His  inclination  toward  music  was  displayed  at  a 
very  early  age,  and  he  began  to  receive  instruction  when  but  six  years  old. 
He  had  the  advantage  of  the  advice  and  direction,  particularly  in  the  field 
of  the  German  lied,  of  August  Kreissman — acknowledged  by  Liszt  to  be  one 
of  the  best  contemporary^  interpreters  of  Robert  Franz.  He  also  owed  much 
of  that  equipment  which  has  given  him  so  much  importance  in  the  field 
of  theoretical  knowledge  to  Carl  Gloggner,  of  the  Leipzig  Conservatory, 
who  aroused  his  interest  in  musical  literature  and  supervised  his  earliest 
attempts  at  original  production  in  this  department  of  musical  activity. 

Mr.  ^Ison  made  his  first  entrance  into  musical  journalism  as 
reviewer  in  the  Musician  a7id  Artist,  a  magazine  of  repute  in  critical 
circles.  He  subsequently  became  a  contributor  to,  and  afterward  editor 
of  the  Vox  Humana.  It  was  in  this  journal  that  the  first  numbers 
appeared  of  his  historical  work  on  Ancient  Music  —  since  published 
and  widely  circulated  in  musical  circles  under  the  title  of  Curiosities  oj 
Music.  Subsequently  he  became  musical  editor  of  The  Score,  in 
which  paper  was  first  published  his  histor>^  of  German  Songs   and   Song 

39^ 


Writers.  Ke  has  also  been  connected  with  the  Micsical  and  Dramatic 
Times,  Wide  Aivake  and  other  art-literarj-  ventures.  His  connec- 
tion with  musical  progress  has,  howe\-er,  by  no  means  been  confined  to 
his  literary  work.  As  vocalist  he  has  been  prominently  connected  with 
Trinity  church,  Emanuel  church  and  other  leading  choirs  of  Boston. 
Of  his  work  in  the  New  England  Conservatory  it  is  unnecessary 
to  speak  further  than  to  say  that  his  labors  there,  transmitted  through 
his  pupils  to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  have  been  an  important  factor 
in  the  promotion  of  vocal  musical  culture  throughout  the  country. 

Since  his  connection  with  the  conservator}^  Mr.  Elson  has  been  one 
of  the  associate  editors  of  the  Musical  Herald,  of  Boston,  and  his  papers 
have  formed  one  of  the  most  valuable  features  of  that  important 
publication.  He  displays  not  only  acumen  and  thorough  mastery  of 
analytical  criticism  as  applied  to  musical  subjects,  but  possesses  a  ripe 
and  finished  literary  style,  rarely  found  outside  the  ranks  of  professional 
authors.  This  faculty  seems  to  improve  from  year  to  year,  and  his 
articles  in  the  Herald  have  come  to  be  looked  forward  to  with  keen 
interest  as  a  source  of  pleasure  and  profit  by  all  lovers  of  the  art  and  the 
associations  connected  with  it. 

Karl  Merz,  Mus.  Doc. 

Perhaps  no  musician  is  to-day  more  widely  known  throughout  the 
United  States  than  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who  has  been  so  long  and 
so  deservedly  prominent  in  so  many  important  departments  of  musical 
activity — as  editor,  author,  lecturer,  theorist,  composer  and  teacher  — 
and  it  is  a  striking  proof  of  the  versatility  of  his  talent  that  in  each  of 
these  fields  he  has  taken,  by  general  concession,  a  first  rank.  Karl  Merz 
was  born  in  Bensheim  (a  citj^  near  Frankfort-on-the-Main),  Germany, 
Sept.  lo,  1836.  His  father  having  been  a  public  school  teacher  and  a 
skillful  organist  and  accomplished  musician,  young  Merz  had  the  advan- 
tage not  only  of  a  musical  talent  by  inheritance,  but  of  a  thorough  literary 
education,  as  well  as  efficient  musical  training.  In  addition  to  the 
instruction  of  his  father,  he  studied  under  F.  J.  Kunkel  —  a  musician  of 
reputation,  but  lacking  in  those  gifts  which  are  essential  to  success  as  a 
teacher.  Graduating  in  arts  in  1852,  he  was  appointed  by  the  govern- 
ment, in  1853,  teacher  in  a  little  town  near  Bingen-on-the- Rhine,  but 
already  he  had  cast  his  eye  upon  the  land  of  wider  liberties  and  more 
unrestricted  possibilities  of  advancement  and  distinction.  His  artist 
nature,  too,  revolted  at  scholastic  drudgery,  and  urged  him  to  devote  him- 
self wholly  to  music  as  the  mistress  of  his  ambition.     In  1854  he  sailed 


399 


L 


for  America,  landing  in  Philadelphia  in  September  of  that  j-ear.  Being 
unable  to  speak  English  at  that  time,  he  had  to  encounter  many  difl&cul- 
ties  and  drawbacks,  but  was  finally  engaged  as  organist  in  the  South 
Presbyterian  church  of  Philadelphia.  After  a  year  here  he  removed  to 
Lancaster  county.  Pa.,  where  he  was  engaged  as  teacher  in  a  young 
ladies'  seminary,  and  played  the  organ  in  the  college  church.  In  the 
quietude  and  serenity  of  this  life  of  comparative  retirement,  he  devoted  his 
leisure  hours  to  diligent  study,  and  entered  upon  the  work  of  composition. 
Subsequently  he  was  successively  engaged  in  Salem,  Roanoke  county-, 
Va.,  in  Harrisonburg  and  in  Hollin's  Institute,  Botetourt  Springs,  Va. 
While  on  a  vacation  north,  the  war  broke  out,  and  Mr.  IMerz  not  only 
endured  serious  personal  loss,  but  was  forced  to  still  another  removal. 
Probably  the  outcome  was  fortunate  for  himself  and  for  the  cause  of 
musical  culture  in  this  country.  He  now  accepted  a  position  as  teacher 
of  music  at  the  Oxford  Female  College,  Oxford,  O.,  where  he  remained 
for  a  period  of  twenty-one  j-ears.  When  this  institution  closed  in  1882, 
his  services  were  brought  into  immediate  requisition  by  the  University  of 
Wooster,  at  Wooster,  O.,  where  he  has  since  remained  as  director  of  the 
musical  and  art  departments.  As  a  musical  writer,  he  first  began  to  be 
widely  known  through  hi?  Musical  Hints  for  the  Millioji,  first  pub- 
lished in  Brainard's  Musical  rF(7r/a?,  commencing  April,  1868,  and  which 
has  had  an  extraordinary'  circulation  and  popularity,  and  moreover  con- 
stitutes a  work  of  permanent  and  important  usefulness.  He  continued  to 
contribute  to  the  Musical  World  until  1871,  when  he  was  made  associate 
editor,  and  since  September,  1873,  he  has  been  chief  editor.  A  facile  and 
graceful  writer,  he  unites  literary  polish  with  profound  musical  skill  to  a 
degree  that  leaves  him  without  a  superior  in  musical  journalism.  Dr. 
Merz  has  also  been  known  as  a  lecturer  on  musical  topics,  and  in  this 
capacity  his  master>'  of  musical  subjects,  combined  with  a  love  and  enthu- 
siasm that  never  fails  to  touch  an  audience  with  contagious  sympathj^ 
has  made  his  platform  work  a  subject  of  admiration  in  critical  circles.  Of 
his  didactic  works,  his  Modem  Method  for  Reed  Organ  has  attained 
practically  universal  circulation  in  this  country,  and  is  generally  recog- 
nized as  a  standard  authority  with  teachers.  Karl  Merz'  Piano  Method, 
is  probably  the  most  superior  of  any  work  of  the  kind  for  popular  use.  It 
has  elicited  the  highest  indorsements  by  the  profession,  and  has  sprung  into 
remarkable  popularity  in  an  incredibl)'  short  space  of  time.  His  text 
book  on  Harmony  and  Musical  Composition  is  adopted  by  thousands  of 
teachers.  In  the  higher  field  of  musical  creation  he  has  published  a  sonata 
of  a  high  order  of  merit,  embracing  three  numbers,  L' Inquietude, 
^loge,     and    La    Belle    Americairic.       These    are    characterized    by    a 

400 


y^^X^A^c^^O^^^ 


401 


depth  of  sentiment  and  refinement  of  style  that  bespeak  the  true  artist. 
The  last,  especially,  has  l^ecome  a  general  favorite.  We  may  in  addition 
mention,  out  of  the  results  of  a  prodigious  industry  in  composition,  his  two 
nocturnes,  entitled  Bitter  Tears;  the  andante,  Tranquillity;  Andante 
for  piano;  Caprice,  for  pianoforte  and  violin,  operettas,  the  popular 
waltzes.  Sounds  from  the  Ohio,  and  Pearl  of  the  Sea,  etc.  Aside  from 
his  purel}^  literary  education,  in  which,  while  young,  he  had  superior 
advantages,  it  is  to  be  said  to  his  credit  that  his  powers  have  been 
developed  to  results  that  do  him  so  much  honor  and  give  him  so  high 
a  place  in  the  world  of  music,  by  an  earnest  and  indefatigable  course  of 
self-education,  and  even  to-day,  accomplished  veteran  that  he  is,  he  does 
not  disdain  to  'be  still  an  ever  active  student.  Personallj^  he  possesses 
those  rare  qualities  of  heart  and  mind  which  attract  and  retain  friendships. 
He  is  sympathetic,  charitable  and  generous,  and  especialh'  broad-minded 
and  enthusiastic  in  his  devotion  to  everything  calculated  to  advance  the 
cause  of  the  art  to  which  his  life  has  been  chiefly  devoted.  Still  in  the 
prime  of  mental  and  physical  vigor,  we  may  reasonably  predict  for  him 
many  years  to  come  of  honor  and  usefulness. 

W.  S.  B.  Mathews. 
Among  those  prominent  in  American  musical  life  and  activity  during 
the  past  twenty-five  years,  there  are  few  more  important  figures  than  "that 
of  William  Smith  Babcock  Mathews,  who  was  bom  in  London,  N.  H., 
Maj-  8,  1837.  His  inclination  for  music  was  made  apparent  at  an  early 
age.  He  began  its  systematic  study  at  ten,  and  played  in  church  from  his 
thirteenth  year.  He  studied  in  Lowell,  Mass. ,  and  Boston,  and  with  such 
earnestness  and  success  that  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he  was  appointed  teacher 
of  music  at  Mount  Vernon,  N.  H.,  Appleton  Academy.  About  this  time 
he  was  prepared  to  enter  the  sophomore  class  at  college,  but  abandoned 
the  idea  of  taking  a  complete  universit}-  course,  from  the  fact  that  he 
would  have  been  compelled  to  carrj^  himself  through  b^'  means  of  music, 
and  his  health  at  that  time  did  not  warrant  the  strain.  We  may  here  add 
that  afterv\'ard,  bj^  earnest  self-application,  he  more  than  covered  the  course 
in  philosophy,  language  and  general  science,  and  is  to-day  distinguished 
among  eminent  literarj^  men  for  the  breadth  and  cultivation  of  his  mind. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  but  ten  years  of  age,  and  his  mother,  marrj^- 
ing  again  five  years  later,  and  removing  with  the  family  to  western  New 
York,  he  accompanied  them  thither,  teaching  music  and  attaining  con- 
siderable local  distinction.  At  Nunda,  New  York,  in  1857,  ^^  married 
Miss  Flora  E.  Swain,  immediately  removing  to  Illinois.     Shortly  after- 


402 


ward  he  received  the  appointment  of  adjunct  Professor  of  Music  in  the 
^esleyan  Female  College  at  Macon,  Ga.,  but  losing  this  position  through 
the  derangements  arising  out  of  the  war,  he  taught  subsequently  at 
Greensboro,  S.  C,  and  Marion,  Ala.  On  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
north,  settling  at  Aurora,  111.,  and  Jan.  i,  1867,  became  organist  of  the 
Centenary  M.  E.  church,  Chicago,  where  he  has,  saving  a  few  months  of 
absence,  officiated  ever  since.  As  a  practical  musician,  Mr.  Mathews' 
specialty  is  pianoforte  teaching.  In  this  he  greatlj''  excels,  and  has 
turned  out  manj'  fine  pianists  who  have  done  credit  to  the  art  and  to  his 
training.  But  to  our  mind,  his  higher  vocation  is  that  of  an  intermediary 
between  purely  musical  ideas  and  purely  literar>^  ideas,  in  which  sphere 
he  has  been  the  means  of  convej'ing  to  literary  life  something  of  the 
impression  that  music  makes  upon  those  who  understand  it  intimately, 
and  has  been  thus  largely  instrumental  in  opening  up  a  proper  and  ade- 
quate appreciation  of  the  meaning  and  mission  of  the  higher  walks  of  the 
musical  art  to  the  general  literary  culture  of  the  day.  In  a  word,  he  has 
possessed  and  exercised  that  rare  faculty  which  enables  the  exponent  and 
representative  of  music  to  act  as  interpreter,  with  conscientious  fidelity 
unfolding  to  those  who, have  heretofore  merely  enjoyed  and  appreciated 
music  those  higher  treasures  which  lie  in  the  true  instinct  and  ideal  of 
harmonic  creation.  In  the  broad  sphere  of  his  general  professional 
activity  he  maj^  be  characterized  as  a  musical  educator,  in  the  widest 
sense  of  the  term.  As  early  as  1859  he  began  to  contribute  to  DwighV s 
Journal  of  Music.  After  1866  his  contributions  became  more  numerous,  and 
for  several  years  he  was  the  Chicago  correspondent,  over  the  name  "  Der 
Freyschutz, ' '  the  mention  of  which  will  recall  old  acquaintance  to  many 
of  our  readers.  In  this  capacity  he  rendered  a  serv^ice  of  importance,  not 
ovXy  to  many  of  the  leading  musicians  of  this  country-,  but  to  the  cause  of 
American  art  culture,  by  calling  attention  to  the  merits  of  their  works  at  a 
time  when  competent  criticism  was  rarer  than  now.  In  1869  Lyon  &  Healy 
began  the  publication  of  the  Musical  Independeyit,  of  which  Mr.  Mathews 
became  editor,  which  attained  high  rank  for  its  sterling  merits,  and  was 
indeed  the  forerunner  of  the  better  musical  journalism  of  recent  years. 
The  great  fire  of  Chicago,  in  1871,  swept  this  out  of  existence,  though  it 
was  afterward,  for  a  short  time,  revived  by  Robert  Goldbeck.  Early  in 
life  Mr.  Mathews  came  under  the  influence  of  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  and  for 
many  years  he  in  his  turn  has  been  a  prominent  writer  on  questions  of 
musical  pedagogy.  In  1871  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  L.  O.  Emerson 
in  the  Emerson  Organ  Method.  In  1876  he  co-operated  with  Dr.  Wm. 
Mason  in  Masoji' s  Piano-forte  Technics,  Mr.  Mathews  supplying  the  letter- 
press, philosophy  and  general  explanations,  while  Dr.   Mason  furnished 


403 


the  exercises  and  the  method  of  their  practical  apphcation.  In  1880  he 
conceived  the  plan  of  his  work,  called  How  to  Understand  Music,  for 
which,  however,  he  could  not  find  a  publisher.  Accordingly  he  com- 
pleted it  and  published  it  himself,  and  sold  it  so  successfulh-  that  two 
editions  were  exhausted  within  the  first  six  months,  and  the  cost  of  the 
plates  was  made  good.  The  work  was  of  no  small  importance  as  an  indi- 
cation of  the  method  bj-  which  pupils  could  be  put  en  rapport  with  what 
might  be  called  the  ' '  inner  ' '  ideas  of  music,  meaning  thereby  the  ideas 
of  music  as  conceived  1)3'  artists.  The  form  of  the  work  was  that  of  object 
lessons,  which,  however  suggestive  to  teachers,  aftenvard  proved  unfa- 
vorable for  literary  readers.  The  work  has  continued  to  sell  liberally,  and 
is  generalh-  regarded  as  standard.  Perhaps  the  most  remarkable  feature 
of  it  is  the  wide  range  of  music  covered  by  it.  A  Dictionarj-  of  Music 
was  appended,  of  considerable  value  as  a  brief  compend  of  information. 
In  1883  he  made  the  first  book  of  his  Studies  iii  Phi-asijig,  which  also  he 
published  himself,  being  unable  to  find  a  publisher.  This  has  had  a  large 
sale  continually.  A  second  and  more  advanced  book  has  just  been  pub- 
lished, in  1889.  A  volume  of  Musical  Essays  was  published  as  a  second 
volume  of  How  to  Understand  Music,  in  1888.  Mr.  Mathews. is  now 
engaged  upon  a  Musical  History,  to  which  his  highest  effort  is  being 
devoted,  and  which  maj'  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  musical  World 
at  no  distant  day.  In  1S74  he  composed  a  work  on  Musical  Form,  to  take 
the  place  of  the  smaller  one  published  by  Ditson  &  Co.  in  1885,  but  the 
work  is  still  in  MSS.,  though  we  trust  ma}'  find  ultimateh'  an  appreciative 
publisher.  His  Twenty  PiaJio  Lessons  to  a  Beginner,  "  upon  the  Inductive 
Plan,"  was  issued  in  1889.  In  1885  he  became  associate  editor  of  the 
Etude,  a  standard  musical  periodical  published  in  Philadelphia,  and  for 
five  years  or  more  has  been  Chicago  correspondent  for  Fretmd'  s  Music 
Trade  Review,  and  the  American  Musician.  Since  1886  he  has  been 
lecturer  on  Musical  History  in  connection  with  the  Chicago  Musical 
College,  and  in  1889  lecturer  on  the  Theorj- of  Teaching,  in  the  American 
Conservatory,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Mathews  has  also  been  active  in  journal- 
ism, aside  from  the  professional  musical  periodicals.  He  did  musical 
criticism  on  the  Chicago  Times  in  1877  ;  was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the 
Chicago  Herald  in  1880  ;  and  has  been  connected  with  the  Chicago  Neivs 
since  1883,  doing  upon  the  two  latter  papers  editorial  work  as  well  as 
musical  criticism.  Mr.  Mathews  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  widelj'  read 
writers  upon  musical  subjects  writing  in  English,  and  his  work  is  distin- 
guished for  its  perspicuity,  intelligence  and,  like  his  piano-forte  concep- 
tions, for  polished  ' '  phrasing. " '  Among  those  factors  which  are  influential 
in  the  propulsion  of  musical  progress,  Mr.  Mathews  is  in  the  front  rank, 

404 


Dexter  Smith. 
A  name  that  is  well  known  in  connection  with  musical  literature  in 
almost  every  department  is  that  of  Dexter  Smith,  who  has  written  wisely 
and  kindly  as  a  musical  critic,  and  whose  favorable  judgment  is  highly 
esteemed  by  those  who  are  so  fortunate  as  to  win  it.     One  of  his  great 
successes  has  been  as  a  writer  of  words  for  music;  this,  in  fact,  may  be 
called  Mr.  Smith's  specialty,  and  as  a  writer  of  song  poems  of  a  simple 
and  popular  character  he  has  scarcely  an  equal.     It  is  said  that  the  list  of 
the  titles  of  his  published  songs  fills  no  less  than  twelve  pages  in  the 
catalogue  of  the  British   Museum.      Mr.    Smith's  songs  are  household 
words  in  many  places  where  his  name  is  scarcely  known.     There  are  few 
Americans,  musical  or  otherwise,  who  have  not  heard,  Put  Me  in  My  Little 
Bed,  Ring  the  Bell  Softly,   There' s  Crape  on  the  Door,  and  others  of  like  ilk; 
yet  Mr.  Dexter  Smith,  as  the  author  of  the  words  of  these  songs,  is  known 
to  a  comparatively  small  constituency.     Among  other  popular  songs  for 
which  he  has  written  the  Ij-rics  are.  Baby' s  Gone  to  Sleep,  Darling  Minnie 
Lee,   She  is  Waitijig  for  Us    There,  Cross  and  Crown,    Siiiging  Baby  to 
Sleep,  Where  the  Little  Feet  are  Waiting  on  the  Golden  Stair,  and  hundreds 
of  others.     His  patriotic  lyrics,  Follow  the  Drum,  Hurrah  for  the  Old  Flag, 
Stand  by  the  Banner  of  Columbia,   Union  and  Liberty,  etc.,  were  among 
the  most  popular  ballads  of  war  times,  while  in  the   ' '  piping  times  of 
peace  "  that  ensued,  his  Columbia  Is  Free,  and  Our  Vietorio2cs  Ba7i7ierwQr& 
a  vocal  celebration  of  good  times  come  again.     Whatever  may  be  said  of 
the  literary  value  of  these  lyrics,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  have 
found  a  place  in  the  heart  of  the  American  public.     Good  verse  for  music 
is  rarer  even  than  good  music,  and  Mr.  Smith  is  one  of  the  few  who 
combine  musical  and  literary  faculties  sufficiently  to  supply  the  desidera- 
tum.    Robert  Southe}^  when  poet  laurate  of  England,  once  heard  a  party 
of  villagers  singing  one  of  his  ballads,  and,  forgetting  the  more  brilliant 
laurels  that  had  come  to  him,  he  exclaimed:    ' '  This  indeed  is  fame! ' '    And 
so  Mr.  Dexter  Smith,  though  far  from  being  one  of  the  great  poets  of  Amer- 
ica, occupies  a  position  that  is  in  its  way  more  enviable.     His  songs  have 
won  their  way  because  they  possess  the  qualities  of  simplicity  and  graceful 
sentiment  which  appeal  strongh-  to  the  average  American.     Mr.  Smith 
has  edited  musical  journals  continuous!}-  since  1865,  his  editorial  connec- 
tions being  with  such  papers  as  the  Folio,   the  Orpheus,  Dexter  Smith's 
Paper,  and  Ditson's  Musical  Record,  the  last  named  of  which  he  still  con- 
ducts.    He  has  at  various  times  tried  his  hand  at  play  writing,  with  consid- 
erable success.     During  his  long  career  as  a  musical  journalist,  Mr.  Smith 
has  corresponded  with  man}-  musical  celebrities,  including  such  notables 
as  Jenny  Lind,  Sims  Reeves,  Wagner,  Liszt,  Gounod  and  many  others.  . 

406 


DEXTER  SMITH. 


J.    K.    KNISEV. 


James  R.  Murray. 

Mr.  Murray,  the  editor  of  Church's  Musical  Visitor,  was  born  in  1842 
at  Andover,  Mass.,  and  received  his  early  musical  education  from  such 
competent  teachers  as  Dr.  George  F.  Root,  Lowell  Mason,  Wm.  B.  Brad- 
bury, George  J.  Webb,  and  on  the  organ,  Eugene  Thayer.  He  fought  in 
the  army  of  the  Potomac  through  the  war,  and  it  was  while  serving  as  a 
soldier  that  some  of  his  favorite  songs  were  written.  His  first  experience 
in  a  literary  way  was  as  assistant  to  Dr.  Root  in  editing  the  Song  Mes- 
senger from  1868  to  1 87 1.  After  the  great  fire  Mr.  Murray  returned  to 
his  native  town  as  teacher  of  music  in  the  public  schools,  and  he  remained 
in  this  position  for  some  years,  but  went  to  Church  &  Co.,  in  1881,  as 
editor  of  the  Musical  Visitor.  While  still  a  teacher  of  country  singing 
schools  in  Massachusetts  he  began  to  compose  children's  songs,  in  which 
simple  melody  was  wedded  to  appropriate  words,  and  these  songs  after- 
ward became  very  popular.  Later,  while  associated  with  Dr.  Root,  his 
activity  in  this  direction  was  greater,  but  his  best  work  has  been  done 
since  he  went  to  Cincinnati  in  1 88 1 .  He  is  the  composer  of  a  large  number 
of  school  song  books,  church  music,  anthems  and  hymns,  and  he  has  also 
written  an  organ  method,  which  has  reached  a  large  sale.  Perhaps  the 
best  known  of  his  songs  is  Daisy  Dcatie.  Of  the  song  books.  Pure  Dia- 
monds, Heavenward  and  Royal  Gems  have  met  all  with  great  success.  Mr. 
Murray  has  entire  charge  of  the  editorial  and  publishing  department  of 
the  house  of  John  Church  &  Co.,  and  has  gained  no  slight  reputation  as 
a  musical  journalist. 

A.  J.  SHOWAI.TER. 

Mr.  Showalter  was  born  May  i,  1858,  at  Cherry  Grove,  Va.,  and  is 
an  accomplished  musician  and  composer  as  well  as  a  dealer  in  musical 
merchandise  (A.  J.  Showalter  &  Co.,  Dalton,  Ga.).  He  studied  first 
with  his  father,  later  with  Prof.  P.  J.  Merges,  of  Philadelphia,  Prof.  B.  C. 
Unseld,  and  Dr.  H.  R.  Palmer,  of  New  York,  and  also  with  Dr.  Geo.  F. 
and  F.  W.  Root,  of  Chicago,  and  others.  He  is  the  author  of  about 
twenty  musical  works,  for  singing  and  vSunday  school,  church  music  and 
a  theory  of  music,  harmony  and  composition  ;  also  an  organ  method. 
He  is  also  the  editor  and  publisher  of  The  Music  Teacher,  a  musical  jour- 
nal published  in  Dalton,  Ga. 


408 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Improvement  in  the  Popular  Standard  of  Performance,  Espe- 
cially IN  THE  Department  of  Operatic  and 
Orchestral  Work.   , 

REMARKABLE  improvement  in  the  general  standard  of  com- 
pleteness in  all  kinds  of  musical  performances  is  to  be  noted  dur- 
ing the  past  twent}^  years,  and  especially  during  the  past  ten. 
It  has  been  singularly  uniform  and  well  maintained  throughout  the 
period,  along  the  whole  line  of  musical  organizations,  from  that  of 

local  choral  societies  to  the  largest  traveling  operatic  and  orchestral 
bodies.  The  movement  has  been  illustrated  over  so  wide  a  range  of 
musical  activity  as  to  make  it  practicall}'  impossible  to  specify  the  original 
source  of  its  inspiration.  Most  likely  the  great  American  maxim  to  "  get 
the  best ' '  has  been  mainly  operative  in  it,  rather  than  any  high  ideal  of 
a  specifically  musical  kind.  The  great  festivals  recounted  in  a  former 
chapter  have  had  much  to  do  with  the  improvement,  since  through  their 
effect  of  filling  the  ears  of  their  hearers  with  so  great  a  volume  of  sound, 
tliey  did  much  to  unsettle  the  feeling  of  reverence  with  which  all  kinds  of 
traveling  bodies  had  been  heard  before.  With  the  sound  of  a  festival 
lingering  upon  the  ears,  with  its  choral  forces  of  hundreds  and  thousands, 
the  meagre  sixteen  of  the  chorus  of  the  Ritchings-Bernard  English  opera, 
or  the  twenty-four  of  the  Italian  companies  of  Strakosch,  might  well 
sound  rather  thin.  Much  of  the  improvement  realized  has  been  due,  no 
doubt,  to  the  natural  effort  of  the  managers  to  surpass  previous  records, 
or  at  least  to  distance  their  immediate  rivals. 

Upon  the  whole,  however,  there  have  been  three  sources  of  inspira- 
tion in  this  direction  possessing  so  much  inherent  vitality,  and  appealing 
so  successfully  to  the  innate  instinct  of  the  American  people  for  finish,  as 
to  leaven  the  entire  musical  activity  of  the  country. 

The  first  in  point  of  time  is  the  Thomas  orchestra,  which  attained  its 
greatest  perfection  of  refinement  of  details  about  fifteen  years  ago,    as 


recounted  in  that  part  of  the  present  chapter  immediately  concerned 
with  it. 

Many  attempts  had  been  made  before  to  establish  orchestras  in  America 
and  to  secure  somewhat  of  the  superior  quality  which  Mr.  Thomas  actually 
accomplished.  But  all  of  them  failed,  more  or  less,  and  always  because 
the  leaders  did  not  strike  high  enough.  Mr.  Thomas  set  his  mark,  not 
distinctly  at  having  an  orchestra  as  good  as  any,  or  better  than  some 
other,  or  the  equal  of  some  particular  European  orchestra;  what  he  aimed 
at  was  to  have  it  rigid,  according  to  his  idea  of  what  the  musical  effect  of 
a  well  played  orchestral  piece  should  be.  He  accomplished  this  in  time,  or 
substantially  accomplished  it,  and  in  a  purel}-  commercial  way.  He  secured 
players  capable  of  responding  to  his  demands,  trained  them,  monopolized 
their  time,  and  so  managed  the  complicated  affairs  that  taking  it  one  sea- 
son with  another  it  paj-ed  well.  There  are  certain  difficulties  connected 
with  orchestral  affairs  all  over  the  world.  In  Europe  most  of  the  court 
opera  houses  have  a  system  of  pensioning  men  after  a  series  of  years  of 
servnce.  This  is  admirable  as  a  benevolent  scheme  for  the  man,  but  it 
encumbers  the  ranks  of  the  orchestra  with  men  past  usefulness,  who  are 
mainly  concerned  in  holding  on  until  their  period  of  service  shall  have 
been  reached,  their  work  being  wholly  devoid  of  enthusiasm  and  the 
higher  musical  qualities.  In  this  country  there  are  very  many  fine  musi- 
cians, but  owing  to  the  opportunities  of  commercial  success  the  smarter 
young  men  are  diverted  from  orchestral  service  into  some  other  where 
there  is  more  money  to  be  made.  As  for  the  expectation  of  raining  at 
symphony  orchestra  composed  of  men  picked  up  for  the  occasion,  it  has 
always  proven  futile,  for  the  reason  that  precisely  the  same  men  can 
hardly  be  obtained  upon  two  successive  occasions,  and  if  they  are  they 
lose  all  the  effect  of  the  conductor's  individuality  between  one  rehearsal 
and  another.  All  this  can  be  changed  oulj^  by  employing  the  men  b}' 
the  season,  and  not  allowing  them  to  engage  in  an}'  other  musical 
employment  whatever  conflicting  with  their  work  in  the  symphony 
orchestra. 

There  is  another  difficulty  with  orchestral  establishments  in  America 
in  the  fact  that  all  the  players  are  foreigners.  If  we  had  here  a  supply 
of  native  young  players,  there  would  be  material  to  select  out  of,  and  the 
material  so  selected  would  have  the  immense  advantage  of  possessing  the 
American  nervous  impressibility;  with  such  material,  if  properly  trained 
technically,  it  would  be  possible  for  a  conductor  to  do  wonderful  things, 
as  wonderful  as  conductors  who  know  how  now  obtain  from  the  chorus 
material  of  this  country,  which  in  flexibility  and  responsiveness  surpasses 
any  other  in  the  world.     As  yet  all  our  orchestras  are  merely  expensive 

4" 


exotics  which  ha\-e  cost  an  almost  incredible  expenditure  of  money  and 
perseverance  to  bring  them  to  the  degree  of  success  they  have  reached. 

Next  in  point  of  time  after  the  Germaiiia  orchestra  which  played  in 
Boston  in  1852  (which,  by  the  way,  gave  Beethoven  symphonies  with 
twenty-four  pla^-ers,  the  first  violins  numbering  only  four),  is  the  New 
York  Philharmonic.  This  noble  organization  was  founded  in  1842.  Its 
storj'  here  follows: 

New  York  Philharmonic  Society. 

A  Philharmonic  society  existed  in  New  York  as  early  as  1824.  Its 
object  was  "To  promote  the  cultivation  of  the  science  of  music;  to  afford 
facilities  for  the  exhibition  of  talent,  and  its  advancement  to  fair  compe- 
tition among  the  profession  and  amateurs."  It  was  really  a  society  for 
aiding  the  widow  and  orphans  of  deceased  members.  The  present  society 
was  founded  in  1842  b}-  Uriah  C.  Hill,  an  enthusiastic  musician,  remarkable 
for  his  restless  enterprise.  He,  A.  Reifi",  H.  B.  Dodworth  and  others  met  at 
the  Apollo  rooms  April  2,  1842,  "  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  possi- 
bility of  forming  a  societj^  of  professional  musicians  residing  in  the  citj',  hav- 
ing for  its  object  the  advancement  of  instrumental  music  and  the  perform- 
ance of  a  series  of  concerts  each  year,  to  be  of  an  higher  order  than  an3-thing 
that  had  ever  been  given  in  the  city. ' '  Hill  was  a  strange  genius.  He 
invented  a  piano  that  would  never  get  out  of  tune,  with  bells  instead  of 
strings.  That  and  some  other  speculations  proved  failures,  and  one  day  in 
September  of  1875  Hill  fell  to  thinking  that  life  itself  was  a  failure,  and  so 
got  out  of  it  with  all  speed,  being  then  seventy-three  years  old.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  violins  in  the  newl}'  founded  Philharmonic  Societj-,  and  was  its 
first  president,  the  other  officers  being  A.  Reiff,  vice-president;  F.  W. 
Rosier,  secretarj-;  A.  Dodworth,  treasurer,  and  W.  Wood,  librarian. 
Thirty-seven  members  signed  the  constitution. 

The  first  concert  was  given  Dec.  7,  1842,  and  was  followed  b}-  two 
others,  three  being  the  limit  for  the  first  season.  The  programme 
of  this  first  concert  emljraced  the  fifth  symphony  and  a  scene  from  Fidclio 
(Beethoven);  scene  from  and  overture  to  Oberon  (Weber);  quintette  in  D 
minor  (Hummel);  duet  from  Amrida  (Rossini);  aria  from  Debtiojit 
atid  Constanza  (Mozart),  and  overture  in  D  (Kalliwoda), —  a  great  pro- 
gramme for  a  society  in  those  days,  and  one  that  might  be  reproduced 
without  fear  before  the  critical  audience  of  to-day.  The  members  of  the 
Philharmonic  Societj-  were  all  professional  orchestral  players,  and  the 
receipts  have  alwaj'S  been  equally  divided  among  them,  formerly  even  the 
conductor  going  equal  shares  with  the  other  members.  This  is  undoubt- 
edly the  reason  why  the  society  has  been  in  harmony  so  long.     At  one 

412 


time,  in  1854,  the  German  and  American  elements  in  its  composition 
threatened  to  come  in  conflict.  The  latter,  headed  by  G.  F.  Bristow,  at- 
tacked the  system  of  making  up  the  programmes  entirely  from  German 
works,  contending  that  the  claims  of  American  composers  were  shamefully 
ignored,  overlooking  the  fact  that  it  was  then  almost  impossible  to  find  an 
American  composer  whose  works  could  be  included  in  the  same  programme 
with   works  of  Haydn,    Beethoven,    Mozart  or   Mendelssohn. 

The  war  brought  troublous  times  for  the  Philharmonic  Society;  the 
audiences  were  small,  and  the  financial  results  not  large.  Those  3'ears 
over,  the  concerts  became  more  successful.  The  orchestra  at  first  numbered 
fifty-two,  and  in  1867  was  increased  to  one  hundred  members.  The 
conductors  during  the  first  seven  seasons  were  U.  C.  Hill,  H.  C.  Timm, 
W.  Alpers,  G.  Loder,  L.  Wiegers,  D.  G.  Etienne  and  A.  Boucher.  In 
1849  Theodore  Eisfeld  was  chosen  conductor  and  remained  until  1855, 
when  Carl  Bergmann  conducted  the  societ}',  and  did  so  alternately  with 
Eisfeld  until  1865-66.  From  that  season  till  1876  Bergmann  was  sole 
conductor,  being  succeeded  by  Dr.  Leopold  Damrosch.  Theodore  Thomas 
was  then  appointed.  The  following  season  Adolphe  Neuendorf  conducted, 
and  in  1879  Thomas  reappeared.  When  Thomas  began  his  symphony 
soirees  in  1864,  there  was  lively  rivalry  between  him  and  the  Philharmonic 
Society  until  1879,  when  Thomas  removed  to  Cincinnati.  After  an 
absence  of  two  years  he  returned  and  became  the  conductor  of  the  society 
which  was  formerly  his  rival.  He  revived  Bach's  works  and  introduced 
the  compositions  of  the  modern  school,  headed  by  Berlioz,  Liszt,  Brahms, 
Rubinstein,  Saint-Saens,  etc.  Up  to  1879-80  the  societj'  had  performed 
about  325  separate  works  and  had  repeated  many  of  them  several  times. 
The  Philharmonic  Societ}'  has  done  a  great  work  in  the  cultivation  of 
instrumental  music,  and  has  been  the  means  of  starting  several  other 
kindred  associations,  until  to-day  New  York,  once  so  eminently  unmusical, 
stands  alone  in  America  in  the  number  and  excellence  of  the  musical 
organizations  which  she  supports.  The  Philharmonic  stands  for  the 
highest  order  of  selections  (trj-ing  no  experiments  with  works  of  new 
composers),  and  a  complete  and  satisfactory'  style  of  performance.  In  the 
latter  respect  its  influence  has  been  enormous,  and  still  is  very  great.  It 
is  now,  and  has  been  for  fort}'  years,  the  most  commanding  orchestral 
organization  in  America. 

Next  after  this  was  the  Harvard  Symphony  Orchestra,  of  Boston, 
an  association  of  music  lovers  formed  in  1S66  for  the  purpose  of  main- 
taining high-class  symphoii}'  concerts.  It  kept  up  its  concerts  until 
Mr.  Higginson's  munificent  provision  for  the  Boston  rendered  the  Har\'ard 
ser^'iccs  no  longer  necessary. 


413 


Harvard  Symphony  Concerts. 

The  Harvard  Musical  Association,  which  was  a  part  of  the  general 
movement  of  that  time  toward  the  elevation  of  musical  art  in  Boston,  was 
founded  in  December,  1865,  for  the  purpofee  of  giving  a  series  of  sj-m- 
phony  concerts.  The  promoters  announced  that  they  did  not  purpose  to 
make  monej',  but  that  their  only  object  was  to  promote  the  taste  for  good 
music  and  to  advance  the  progress  of  art  in  Boston.  "Every  dollar 
received,"  they  said,  "will  be  spent  in  making  the  concerts  more  per- 
fect." They  dwelt  very  strongly  in  their  announcement  on  the  need  for 
greater />?<?'//>'  in  music.  They  had  no  intention  of  rendering  hackneyed 
themes,  which  would  .set  the  feet  and  hands  of  the  crowd  going,  and 
would  secure  the  performers  applause,  but  would  add  nothing  to  the  dig- 
nitj^  of  art  —  rather,  take  awa}'  from  it.  At  each  concert  would  be  given  a 
sj^mphony  from  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Schubert  or  Schumann,  and  prefer- 
ence would  be  given  to  the  less  familiar  among  the  chosen  master's  com- 
positions, although  alwa^'s  the  selection  must  be  of  unquestioned  excellence. 
No  arrangements  were  made  for  the  engagement  of  any  great  artists. 
The  association  decided  to  await  the  result  of  the  sale  of  tickets  before 
they  plunged  into  rash  expenditures.  They  organized  a  small  but  good 
chorus  and  a  competent  orchestra,  with  the  object  of  giving  the  Antigone 
chorus  of  Mendelssohn,  the  less  known  productions  of  Weber  and  Cheru- 
bini,  the  Midsummer  N'ighfs  Dream,  Gluck's  Orpheus,  etc.  It  was 
arranged  to  give  the  concerts  on  Thursday  afternoons,  from  four  to  six, 
when  it  was  late  enough  to  light  up  and  have  the  effect  of  an  evening 
concert,  but  not  too  late  to  allow  people  living  at  a  distance  to  get  home 
to  a  late  dinner.  The  hour  was  also  made  necessarj'  by  the  fact  that  it 
was  almost  impossible  to  collect  an  orchestra  at  anj^  other  time^  The 
plan  was  to  give  six  concerts  representative  of  the  great  sjmiphonic 
masters. 

The  first  concert  v.'as  given  on  Jan.  28,  1866,  and  was  a  pro- 
nounced success.  Carl  Zerrahn  was  the  conductor  on  this  occasion,  as  he 
was  ever  afterward.  Carl  Rosa  played  Mendelssohn's  violin  concerto  in 
E  minor  and  Bach's  Chaconne,  both  of  which  were  enthusiastically 
received.  The  rest  of  the  programme  contained  the  overture  to  Eiiryanthe 
(Weber);  symphony  in  G  minor  (Mozart);  three  violin  solos,  Schumann's 
Abendlied,  arranged  by  Joachim;  Hungarian  air  and  Am  Springquell,  by 
Ferd.  David,  and  the  overture  to  Leonore  (Beethoven).  The  orchestra 
numbered  about  fifty,  with  a  greater  proportion  of  strings  than  was  usual 
in  Boston  at  that  time.  At  the  second  concert  the  fourth  symphony,  in 
B  flat,  of  Beethoven,  was  given  with  great  eifect.  A  chorus  of  about 
sixty  voices  had  been  organized,  and  sang  the  Antigo7ic  chorus.    The  menir 

414 


bers  were  mostly  amateurs,  who  had  never  sung  on  a  stage  before,  mem- 
bers of  the  Harvard  University,  Cambridge  students,  and  some  of  the 
Handel  and  Haydn  Society.  They  were  excellently  trained  by  B.  J. 
Lang,  and  gained  a  marked  success.  At  the  last  concert  of  this  season 
Ernst  Perabo,  who  is  described  as  "A  youth  of  twenty  summers,  with  a 
blooming,  clear  complexion,"  played  the  piano  part  of  a  septette  by  Hum- 
mel.    This  same  Perabo  afterward  played  for  them  quite  frequently. 

The  concerts  were  eminently  successful  in  every  way.  The  first 
year  only  six  were  given,  the  second  year  eight,  and  after  that  ten  con- 
certs each  year,  with  an  occasional  benefit.  In  the  first  five  years,  forty- 
eight  concerts  were  given,  the  programmes  for  which  had  contained  thirty- 
four  symphonies,  twenty  concertos  and  thirty-three  overtures,  from  Bee- 
thoven, Haydn,  Mozart,  Bach,  Cherubini,  Gluck,  Mendelssohn,  Spohr, 
Sterudale-Bennett,  Weber,  Schumann,  Handel,  Schubert,  etc.  The 
one-hundredth  concert  was  held  in  May,  1875,  and  on  looking  over  a  list 
of  the  works  which  had  been  given  up  to  that  time  it  is  very  noticeable 
how  closely  the  association  had  adhered  to  their  resolution  to  give  the 
preference  to  less  known  pieces,  for  quite  a  third  of  the  list  consists  of 
pieces  that  were  played  for  the  first  time  in  Boston.  Since  that  time  the 
association  has  kept  an  even  tenor  of  success,  and  has  done  not  a  little 
toward  establishing  a  pure  and  high  musical  standard  in  the  city.  It 
was  discontinued  in  1886. 

Both  these  societies  worked  along  the  old  lines,  differing  mainly  in 
this:  The  New  York  society  was  a  co-operative  society  of  the  musicians 
themselves,  coming  together  out  of  their  own  innate  desire  for  the  highest 
and  best  of  their  art.  So  well  did  they  manage  their  affairs  that  they 
prospered  pecuniarily,  having  always  something  to  divide  for  many  j-ears. 
In  New  York  the  men  were  elected  into  membership,  and  the  same  result 
was  reached  in  time  as  in  the  permanently  composed  orchestras  of  Europe, 
already  adverted  to,  namely,  there  became  so  many  elder!}-  players  in  the 
ranks,  and  so  little  vigor  in  the  director}-,  that  the  programmes  became 
somewhat  stale,  and  the  playing  traditional  and  routine-like.  The  latter 
qualities  were  changed  immediately  when  Mr.  Thomas  was  elected  director, 
as  he  was  in  1889,  and  one  of  the  first  conditions  he  made  was  that  certain 
players  should  be  retired,  and  certain  new  men  of  his  own  nomination 
should  be  elected  in  their  places.  Such  a  movement  could  not  have 
succeeded  but  for  two  circumstances:  The  first  was  that  the  prestige  of 
the  society  had  been  seriously  undermined  by  Mr.  Thomas'  new  orches- 
tra and  fresh  programmes;  the  second,  that  there  was  no  other  leader  avail- 
able appearing  capable  of  bringing  the  society  out  of  the  rut  into  which 
it  had  gotten. 


4«5 


The  Harvard  orchestra  had  no  such  resource.  It  was  composed  of 
men  who  were  hired  for  the  occasion;  but  unusual  pains  had  been  taken 
to  have  them  alwaj^s  the  same,  which  difficult  thing  was  measurably- 
accomplished  by  putting  the  concerts  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  no 
matinees  or  other  engagements  claimed  the  services  of  the  men.  This 
societj',  however,  fell  into  the  rut  that  almost  any  society  will  fall  into 
when  its  membership  continues  for  a  long  time  with  very  little  change, 
and  when  the  leader  himself  is  also  one  of  the  old  men.  Mr.  Zerrahn, 
who  is  certainly  one  of  the  best  musicians  who  ever  exercised  his  calling 
in  America,  was  not  able  to  fully  resist  this  tendency.  Hence  in  1886  the 
Harvard  symphony  concerts  were  allowed  to  lapse.  For  several  years, 
indeed,  the  conser\-atism  already  spoken  of  had  aroused  an  opposition 
society,  led  by  that  eminent  musician,  Mr.  Bernard  Listermann.  When 
he  let  the  baton  fall  it  was  taken  up  by  the  late  Dr.  Louis  Maas,  and  then, 
singularly  enough,  by  Mr.  Zerrahn  himself.  But  all  to  no  purpose.  It 
was  time  for  something  new,  and  this  presently  came. 

Now  came  the  new  order  of  things,  the  problem  having  changed 
from  that  of  merely  giving  a  certain  number  of  symphony  concerts 
respectably  season  after  season,  and  coming  out  at  the  end  with  a  balance 
upon  the  right  side  of  the  ledger,  to  that  of  rivaling, -and  if  possible, 
surpassing  the  style  and  technique  of  the  Thomas  orchestra.  The  Boston 
orchestra  was  formed  in  1881  under  the  guarantee  of  a  wealth}'  gentleman, 
Mr.  Higginson,  that  expenses  should  be  net.  The  men  were  to  be  hired 
for  the  season,  just  as  Mr.  Thomas  hired liis,  being  allowed  to  engage  in 
no  other  occupations  conflicting  with  their  regular  rehearsal  hours  or 
concerts.     The  full  story  here  follow  in  brief. 

The  Boston  Orchestra. 

The  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra  was  formed  October  11,  1881, 
through  the  liberality  of  a  wealthy  gentleman,  Dr.  Henry  L.  Higginson, 
who  declared  that  he  would  establish  an  orchestra  in  Boston  worthy  of  the 
name,  and  maintain  it  until  such  time  as  it  could  be  made  self-sustaining. 
A  more  meritorious  enteqirise  in  music  has  never  been  undertaken  by  an 
American.  The  number  of  players  at  first  consisted  of  sixty-seven,  many 
of  them  old  residents  of  Boston  and  members  of  the  previous  organizations 
already  described.  The  conductor  for  the  first  three  years  was  Mr. 
George  Henschel.  This  accomplished  singer,  pianist  and  musician  was 
comparatively  new  to  the  orchestral  field,  and,  as  the  re.sult  showed,  not 
competent  for  the  work  then  in  hand.  He  endeavored  in  many  ways  to 
!ift  the  players  out  of  the  ruts  into  which  they  had  fallen.  He  adopted 
new  plans  of  di.sposing  the  players  upon  the  platform,  etc.,  but  nothing 

416 


succeeded.  Still  the  concerts  were  immediately  an  improvement  upon 
those  which  Boston  had  had  before,  a  fact  due  mainly  to  the  large  number 
of  rehearsals.  Mr.  Henschel  is  entitled  also  to  the  credit  of  having  recog- 
nized the  claims  of  American  compo.sers  to  at  least  an  occasional  place 
upon  his  programmes.  In  1884  Mr.  Higginson  imported  Mr.  Wilhelm 
Gerrickefrom  Vienna,  where  he  was  held  in  the  very  highest  repute  as  a 
competent  conductor  and  superb  drillmaster.  For  the  first  season  he 
made  few  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  players,  but  the  second  season 
saw  many  changes.  New  men  were  brought  over  for  the  instruments  in 
his  judgment  most  needing  attention,  and  at  the  head  of  them  the  com- 
petent young  Roumanian  violinist,  Mr.  Fritz  Kneisel,  as  concertmeister. 
There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  value  of  Mr.  Gerricke's  work.  He 
made  the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra  one  of  the  first  of  the  world. 
Nevertheless  he  was  not  altogether  satisfactory'.  His  rigid  adherence  a  to 
few  composers,  especially  the  three  B's  (Bach,  Beethoven  and  Brahms), 
and  his  rigid  exclusion  of  almost  all  popular  music  from  his  programmes, 
meaning  by  the  term  popular  the  poetic  and  interesting  symphonic  poems  of 
Saint-Saens,  etc. ,  lost  him  the  good  will  of  the  public.  Moreover,  there  was 
no  American  capable  of  writing  music  sufficiently  good  to  be  played  by  his 
orchestra,  a  fact  to  be  regretted,  upon  his  own  account,  as  it  proved,  no 
less  than  upon  grounds  of  politeness  to  a  nation  which  had  taken  him  in 
and  done  so  well  by  him.  In  1889  a  change  was  made,  Mr.  Arthur 
Nikisch  being  brought  over  from  Leipzig  as  conductor.  He  was  received 
with  acclaim  as  a  poetic  and  spontaneous  director,  bej'ond  anything  that 
Boston  had  seen,  but  it  is  still  too  soon  to  determine  whether  he  will  be 
able  to  maintain  the  high  degree  of  finish  reached  by  Mr.  Gerricke.  The 
orchestra,  at  present  writing,  1889,  numbers  eighty,  disposed  as  follows: 
first  violins,  sixteen,  among  them  several  superior  solo  artist,  as  Messrs. 
Kneisel,  Adamowski,  Loeffier,  Svecenski,  Mullaly,  etc.;  second  vio- 
lins, fourteen;  violas,  ten;  'cellos  and  basses,  eight  each;  two  flutes,  one 
piccolo,  two  oboes,  one  English  horn,  two  bassoons,  four  horns,  at  the 
head  of  them  the  gypsy-looking  Mr.  Reiter,  whom  Elson  pronounces  the 
best  horn  player  in  America;  two  trumpets,  playing  real  trumpets  and 
not  cornets,  as  is  almost  uniformly  done  in  other  orchestras;  three  trom- 
bones, one  tuba,  one  pair  kettle  drums,  one  harp. 

It  is  understood  that  the  financial  history-  of  this  great  orchestra  has 
been  one  of  large  losses,  which  have  been  borne  uncomplainingly,  having 
been  foreseen  when  the  enterpri.se  was  undertaken;  but  the  receipts  have 
more  nearly  balanced  the  expenditures  with  ever\'  advancing  season, 
until  at  the  present  tir.ie  the  account  is  nearlj^  even.  The  regular  number 
of  concerts  per  season  is  twenty-four,  with  the  same  number  of  public 

417 


Theodokk  Thomas 

^N  man}'  respects  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  is  a  typical  American. 
He  was  born  in  Esens,  Hanover,  Oct.  ii,  1835.  His  father 
"P  was  a  violinist  and  a '  good  musician.  He  gave  Theodore  in- 
struction when  scarcelj'  more  than  an  infant,  and  at  the  age  of 
six  the  young  violinist  made  a  creditable  public  appearance.  The 
family  came  to  America  in  1845,  when  Theodore  was  ten  years 
old,  nor  has  he  since  that  time  ever  returned  to  German}^  to  studj\ 
He  is  therefore  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  self-made  American 
musician.  Soon  after  coming  to  America  he  obtained  emploj^ment  as 
violinist  in  an  orchestra.  In  1851  he  made  a  concert  tour  through  the 
south  as  solo  violinist,  and  he  was  first  violinist  in  the  concert  companies 
of  Jenn)'  Lind,  Sontag,  GrLsi  and  Mario,  and  several  others.  During  a 
part  of  this  time,  and  in  several  operatic  engagements  subsequentl}',  he 
played  under  the  baton  of  Arditi.  In  several  of  his  operatic  engagements 
he  acted  as  assistant  conductor,  his  first  appearance  in  this  relation  having 
been  due  to  the  temporary  illness  of  the  conductor.  In  1861  he  withdrew 
from  the  theatre,  ha\-ing  other  plans  in  view  than  that  of  serving  as  first 
violin,  or  leader  in  a  mereh^  accompanj'ing  orchestra 

In  the  year  1855  Theodore  Thomas  was  concerned  with  Wm.  Mason, 
J.  Mosenthal,  F.  Bergner  and  G.  Matzka  in  a  series  of  chamber  con- 
certs, given  mostly  at  Dodworth's  hall.  These  concerts  were  con- 
tinued for  fourteen  j'ears,  closing  in  1869,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Thomas' 
engagements  in  orchestral  work.  During  these  fourteen  j-ears  the  whole 
round  of  modern  chamber  music  was  traversed.  The  musicians  associated 
in  this  enterprise  were  thoroughly  congenial,  and  all  alike  ambitious  of 
presenting  classical  music  with  the  charm  properly  belonging  to  it.  The 
rehearsals  were  extremelj'  careful,  and  all  technical  points  of  ensemble 
playing  received  the  clo.sest  attention,  every  man  being  alike  interested  in 
conforming  his  own  work  to  the  demands  of  the  general  effect.  In  time 
the  interpretations  of  this  organization  became  famous  for  the  unity  which 
characterized  them,  no  less  than  the  artistic  finish  and  the  nicety  of 
technique,  which  had  never  previously  been  equaled  in  America;  and  the 
Thomas  organization  did  not  rest  assured  until  it  had  given  concerts  in 

418 


1^^-97^^^ 


4'9 


Boston  for  several  seasons,  sufficient  to  demonstrate  the  superiority  and 
engaging  quality  of  their  work.  The  influence  of  these  concerts  upon  the 
taste  for  chamber  nnisic  in  America,  was  no  doubt  considerable ;  but  the 
most  lasting  influence  of  these  fourteen  years  is  to  be  seen  in  the  qualities 
which  afterward  came  to  expression  in  the  Thomas  orchestra.  If  space 
permitted,  it  would  be  interesting  to  give  some  of  the  programmes. 
Manj'  new  works  of  the  highest  order  were  given  simultanectusly  with 
their  first  performance  in  Europe,  and  some  for  the  first  time  in  the  world. 
The  Brahms  trio  and  septette  were  given  as  long  ago  as  1855,  and  several 
other  advanced  works  nearly  as  early. 

Five  5-ears  before  closing  the  chamber  concerts  finalh',  Mr.  Thomas 
had  organized  an  orchestra  for  what  he  called  "  Symphony  Soirees  "  in 
Irving  hall.  Two  points  were  noticeable  in  these  concerts  from  the  start: 
their  catholicity,  especially  the  prominence  given  to  modern  works  of 
advanced  qualities,  like  those  of  Berlioz,  Liszt  and  Wagner  ;  and  the 
spirit  and  finish  of  the  playing.  It  is  due  Mr.  Thomas  to  say  that  he 
established  a  new  ideal  of  orchestral  work.  He  sought  to  unite  the 
ample  technique  of  virtuoso  plaj-ers  with  the  refinement  and  unity  of  the 
best  chamber-music  playing.  This  effort  was  not  immediatelj'  realized, 
the  material  at  his  command  not  being  capable  of  this  quality  of  work. 
In  the  matter  of  selections  he  succeeded  better,  although  tolerable  per- 
formances were  not  obtained  without  considerable  trouble.  Orchestral 
pla3'ing  was  largely  a  matter  of  routine.  It  was  traditional  that  a  com- 
pany cf  plaj-ers  collected  from  various  .sources  for  a  single  concert,  or 
three  or  four  at  most,  should  be  capable  of  giving  a  Beethoven  symphony 
with  one  or  two  rehearsals.  Play  them  with  this  preparation  they  did, 
and  as  a  rule  all  the  players  got  through  the  work  at  the  same  time. 
Beyond  this,  there  was  little  unity  in  the  perfonuance,  and  when  every 
player  was  intent  upon  plaj-ing  the  mere  notes  of  his  own  part,  it  is 
evident  that  there  could  not  be  anj-thing  approaching  an  interpretation, 
whether  the  conductor's  or  a  sort  of  composite  of  the  pla3-ers  en  masse. 
Orchestral  musicians  were  largelj^  without  ambition,  and  hopelessh-  fast 
in  ruts.  There  was  a  small  repertoire  which  was  gone  over  season  after 
season.  The  expense  of  new  music  and  the  impossibility  of  getting  it 
properly  inteqareted  without  a  number  of  rehearsals  beyond  the  resources 
of  the  conductor,  kept  affairs  stationary,  and,  but  for  some  such  enterprise 
as  this  of  Mr.  Thomas,  so  it  might  have  remained  until  this  time. 
Thomas,  from  ihe  first,  had  a  great  disregard  of  expense.  He  had 
certain  ideals  to  realize,  and  he  believed  that  these  ideals  were  of  more 
consequence  than  any  ordinary  number  of  dollars.  So  he  ordered  new 
works,  rehearsed  them  diligently,  and  produced   them — at  a  pecuniairy 

420 


loss,  to  be  svire,  but  to  the  great  bi.nefit  cf  his  own  reputation,  and  to  the 
material  shaking  up  of  the  dry  bones  in  orchestral  circles  of  New  York. 
After  two  seasons  of  these  symphony  concerts,  he  saw  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  realize  his  ideal  of  what  an  orchestral  interpretation  should 
be,  under  existing  conditions.  He  desired  to  bring  together  a  body  of 
players  capable  of  performing  perfectly  any  orchestral  music  then 
existing. 

Accordingl)',  in  1866,  he  organized  his  orchestra  for  summer  conceits 
at  the  Terrace  garden,  near  Central  Park,  and  two  j-ears  later  removed  it  to 
Central  Park  garden,  where  there  was  larger  space  and  a  better  oppor- 
tunit}-.  The  person// c/  oi  the  orchestra  was  largely  recruited  from  young 
German  musicians  who  were  flocking  to  this  country.  These  j-oung  men, 
\"er}'  many  of  them,  were  fresh  from  Leipzig  and  Berlin  conservatories,  and 
from  the  famous  orchestras  of  Bilse  and  other  European  conductors.  Most 
of  them  had  studied  for  solo  playing,  and  it  used  to  be  the  boast  of  the 
j-oung  conductor  that  every  man  in  his  orchestra  was  a  virtuoso  upon  his 
instrument.  The  skill  of  the  players,  their  youth  and  consequent  ductilitj^, 
enabled  the  conductor  to  make  his  interpretations  more  and  more  what 
he  desired.  Discipline  was  rigid,  after  the  manner  of  the  Prussian 
drill  masters.  No  insubordination  was  tolerated.  The  range  of  the 
selections  and  the  wholly  unprecedented  finish  and  spirit  of  the  interpre- 
tations attracted  large  audiences.  The  summer  practice  was  justified  b3' 
the  improved  sj-mphonj-  concerts  of  the  winters.  These  were  given  at 
Ir\'ing  hall  for  five  years,  then  discontinued  two  seasons  on  account  of 
insufficient  support.  In  1872  they  were  resumed  at  Steinwaj-  hall,  where 
they  were  maintained  some  jears  after  Mr.  Thomas  had  been  elected 
conductor  of  the  Philharmonic  Society.  They  were  finally  given  tip  on 
account  of  the  interference  occasioned  by  the  demands  of  traveling. 

From  an  artistic  point  of  view  these  concerts  must  be  ranked  among 
the  most  important  orchestral  enterprises  undertaken  anywhere  in  the 
world.  Mr.  Thomas  was  the  first  conductor,  so  far  as  record  indicates, 
to  arrange  his  programmes  with  reference  to  covering  a  distinct  part  of 
musical  literature;  and  a  series  of  programmes,  in  which  each  programme 
was  a  distinct  unit,  complete  and  well  balanced  in  itself,  j-et  forming  part 
of  a  larger  whole — to  wit,  the  entire  series.  Hence  he  was  emphatically 
an  educator  of  the  most  potent  kind.  The  Central  Park  concerts  afforded 
a  college  where  one  could  hear  works,  representing  ever}'  part  of  orchestral 
literature,  given  frequentlj-,  and  in  proper  co-ordination  with  other  works 
congenial,  or  artistically  contrasting  with  them.  These  programmes 
excited  the  greatest  possible  interest  in  Europe,  being  published  by  all 
the  leading  musical  journals.     Rubinstein,  at  St.   Petersburg,  was  the 

421 


next  conductor  to  follow  this  plan  of  Mr.  Thomas,  since  which  it  has 
become  universal  with  conductors  of  the  highest  class. 

The  first  concert  tour  of  the  Thomas  orchestra  was  made  in  1869. 
There  were  fifty-four  players  taken  upon  the  tour.  The  programmes  were 
largely  composed  of  light  nnisic,  Strauss  not  being  disdained.  Mr.  Thomas 
rightly-  recognized  that  the  taste  for  orchestral  music  in  America  had  to  be 
built  up  from  the  bottom,  and  he  addressed  himself  to  the  task  of  famil- 
iarizing the  auditors  with  the  sound  and  capabilities  of  the  different 
instruments.  Concertos  for  violin,  'cello,  flute,  horn  and  almost  every 
other  instrument  were  given.  The  pianissimo  was  a.  great  attraction. 
All  the  strings  played  as  delicately  together,  as  precisely  and  as  softly,  as 
a  company  of  first-rate  quartette  players.  It  was  by  exercises  of  this  sort, 
movements  from  quartettes,  and  the  like,  that  Thomas  unified  his  orchestra, 
and  at  the  same  time  took  the  public  upon  its  most  susceptible  side,  that, 
namely,  of  the  well  sounding  and  the  pleasing.  Withal,  he  was  a  singularlj- 
graceful  conductor.  His  splendid  phj-sique,  graceful  presence  and  quiet 
but  masterful  beat  disposed  the  audience  to  appreciate  his  work  upon  the 
merely  external  grounds  of  the  well  pleasing  and  the  becoming.  The 
business  of  the  western  tour,  during  this  season,  was  extremelj^  bad.  A  cer- 
tain editor  of  a  Chicago  musical  paper  expressed  his  regret  to  Mr.  Thomas 
that  the  public  had  shown  itself  so  little  attentive.  Thomas  answered 
philosophically,  "The  public  will  pay  for  this  some  time."  Chicago 
did  pay  for  it  many  times  since,  for  there  is  no  musical  name  so  potent 
there  at  present  as  that  of  Mr.  Thomas. 

When  Wagner  was  little  more  than  a  name  in  America,  Thomas 
began  to  give  copious  extracts  from  his  works.  It  was  as  long  ago  as 
1870  that  he  introduced  the  Ride  of  the  Valkyries  from  Wagner's  opera 
of  The  Valkyries.  This  strange  piece  made  a  great  impression.  Not  long 
after  he  was  able  to  add  the  Magic  Fire  See?ie  from  the  same  opera,  and 
Siegfried's  Funeral  March.  These  he  obtained  surreptitiously,  \\'agner 
having  been  fearful  of  losing  his  European  copyright  if  he  permitted 
copies  of  his  pieces  to  be  sent  to  America.  It  is  generally  believed  that 
Thomas  received  his  copies  of  the.se  pieces  from  Liszt,  who  had  them 
copied  without  Wagner's  knowledge,  believing  that  in  no  other  waj- 
could  he  more  rapidly  advance  tlie  great  composer's  recognition.  The 
Dacchanalc  from  Wagner's  Tannhdiiser  Mr.  Thomas  obtained  from 
Paris,  and  played  it  several  years  before  it  was  heard  in  Europe  outside 
the  French  opera  house  for  which  Wagner  originally  wrote  it.  Berlioz 
was  another  composer  whose  works  Thomas  played  frequentl3\  At  that 
time  the  great  French  orchestral  tone-poet  was  an  unknown  name  in 
America,  outside  of  the  musical  centres  of  the  east. 

422 


Matters  went  from  bad  to  worse.  Salaries  were  continually  advanc- 
ing, through  his  unwillingness  to  lose  a  good  plaj'er  at  the  moment  when  his 
services  began  to  be  most  advantageous  to  the  artistic  work  of  the  orches- 
tra. The  scheme  of  giving  a  long  series  of  concerts  in  Philadelphia  dur- 
ing the  centennial,  in  1876,  was  not  supported  as  had  been  expected. 
Accordingly  the  orchestra  was  disbanded,  and  for  a  few  months  it  looked 
as  if  the  Thomas  orchestra  would  henceforth  be  included  in  the  list  of 
vanished  things,  too  bright  and  beautiful  for  the  working  nineteenth 
centur}-. 

In  1878  Mr.  Thomas  was  offered  the  presidencj-  of  a  new  college  of 
music,  established  at  Cincinnati,  of  the  founding  and  individual  history  of 
which  particulars  will  be  found  in  the  proper  place.  Mr.  Thomas  was 
selected  for  this  position,  because  the  founders  of  the  institution  recognized 
his  name  as  the  most  prominent  in  American  musical  art,  and  they  desired 
by  the  aid  of  it  to  emphasize  the  high  intentions  of  the  school.  A  hand- 
some salary  was  offered,  $10,000  per  3"ear,  and  it  was  farther  agreed  that 
he  should  have  sufficient  leaves  of  absence  to  enable  him  to  carrj'  on  his 
work  as  conductor  of  the  New  York  and  Brookh-n  philharmonic  concerts. 
The  opening  was  well  timed  and  inviting.  Mr.  Thomas  accepted  it 
and  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  lived  about  two  3'ears.  He  was 
not  able  to  accomplish  there  all  that  he  desired.  His  ideal  was  that 
of  a  thoroughly  equipped  musical  university,  not  only  equal  to  the  best 
in  the  world,  but  materially  superior  to  an}-  then  existing.  The  field  at 
Cincinnati  was  not  equal  to  supporting  such  a  school,  nor  did  the  schol- 
astic material  exist  for  filling  its  classes.  The  Cincinnati  school,  like  all 
American  colleges,  had  to  content  itself  throughout  its  early  j'ears,  with 
keeping  a  preparatorj-  school.  The  most  important  gain  from  the  Cincin- 
nati experience  was  the  leisure  it  afforded  him  for  study  and  reflection. 

The  success  of  the  Cincinnati  triennial  festivals,  established  in  1874, 
led  to  others  of  the  kind,  but  with  modification.  Full  particulars  of 
these,  as  well  as  of  similar  festivals  held  in  other  cities,  are  given  else- 
where. One  feature,  however,  cannot  be  omitted  here,  since  it  belongs  so 
personally  to  Mr.  Thomas.  In  18S4  he  organized  a  series  of  festivals  in 
the  leading  cities  of  the  country,  extending  through  three  months,  in  all 
of  which  the  same  solo  singers  participated,  and  the  Thomas  orchestra, 
increased  to  eighty  men  for  the  trip.  At  the  close  of  the  festivals,  of 
which  the  Wagner  works  had  been  a  prominent  feature,  the  entire 
orchestra  and  solo  artists  were  taken  across  the  continent  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  where  similar  programmes  were  repeated  to  great  crowds. 

One  of  Mr.  Thomas's  ambitions  was  that  of  presenting  all  of  the 
Wagner   operas  in  complete  form,    with  full  appointment  of  principals, 

423 


etc.,  according  to  che  highest  European  standards,  together  with  his  own 
superior  ideas  of  finish  and  orchestral  efficiencj'  —  ideas  which  are  scarcely 
ever  realized  in  Europe,  on  account  of  the  number  of  old  musicians  in 
almost  every  important  orchestra  —  musicians  Ijelonging  to  a  past  school 
of  music,  and  no  longer  possessing  the  flexibility  of  technique  adequate  to 
the  demands  of  these  new  works.  By  a  curious  mischance,  for  him,  his 
operatic  idea  was  anticipated  in  its  execution  b}'  the  late  Dr.  Damrosch, 
who  suddenly  found  himself  able,  in  1884,  to  bring  together  ample  re- 
sources at  the  Metropolitan  opera  house  for  this  very  work.  In  1885, 
however,  Mr.  Thomas  engaged  in  an  operatic  enterprise  affording  him  op- 
portunit}-  for  illustrating  his  idea  of  orchestral  accompaniment  in  dramatic 
music,  in  the  so-called  '  'American  Opera  ' '  of  Mrs.  Thurber.  The  ideals  of 
this  enterprise  were  admirable,  and  largely  coincided  with  those  of  Mr. 
Thomas  himself,  who  desired  above  all  things  to  present  Wagner's  works 
in  the  language  of  the  hearers,  and  to  give  opera  in  general  with  a  well 
balanced  ensemble.  Mr.  Thomas'  connection  with  this  ill-fated  estab- 
lishment was  wholl}-  creditable  to  him.  The  promoters  of  the  American 
opera  desired  his  name  for  commercial  purposes,  as  well  as  his  ser^-ices  for 
their  artistic  importance.  Such  being  the  case,  Mr.  Thomas  was  not 
wrong  in  insisting  upon  a  salar}^  not  much  smaller  than  he  would  have 
l)een  able  to  earn  in  his  usual  engagements.  As  a  conductor  of  opera 
he  was  unjustly  censured  for  subjecting  the  singers  too  much  to  the 
orchestra. 

The  charge  was  unjust.  It  was  Mr.  Thomas'  ill  fortune  in  this  affair 
t )  have  at  his  disposal,  especially  upon  the  female  side,  voices  mostly  of 
s-.nall  calibre  and  personalities  of  little  force.  The  colorless  interpetations 
of  these  singers  were  naturally  overpowered  by  the  orchestra  in  every 
moment  of  real  warmth,  because  there  is  a  point  bej-ond  which  it  is  impos- 
sible to  suppress  the  orchestra  without  destroying  its  resonance  and  mu- 
sical effect.  Mr.  Thomas  was  also  censured  for  not  allowing  his  singers 
sufficient  lee-waj^  in  the  matter  of  tempi  riibati.  Here  the  truth  properly 
la)'  between  the  extremes.  On  the  one  hand,  the  singers  were  disposed 
to  exceed  the  limits  of  good  taste,  as  they  continuallj'  do  in  opera,  distort- 
ing rhythms  out  of  proportion,  and  doubling  and  trebling  the  duration  of 
notes,  and  even  full  measures,  for  the  sake  of  producing  an  effect,  which 
when  produced  is  often  totally  foreign  to  the  intention  of  the  composer, 
and  not  infrequenth'  inconsistent  with  it.  On  the  other  hand,  Mr. 
Thomas'  ideal  of  musical  effect  is  typically  that  of  instruments.  His 
notion  of  rhythm  is  instrumental,  where  the  main  bond  of  unity  in  long 
movements  is  the  rhythmic  pulsation  and  the  rhythmic  motivization. 

He  had  always  been  a  great  stickler  for  the  well  sounding  and  the 


well  balanced,  and  in  a  case  of  the  present  kind  it  is  not  remarkable  that 
differences  of  opinion  across.  Still  the  record  remains  that  in  the  Amer- 
ican opera,  the  ensemble  was  better  balanced,  and  the  orchestral  part  inter- 
preted with  more  completeness,  in  better  taste,  and  with  more  fuUness  and 
sweetness  of  tone-color,  than  had  ever  been  heard  in  opera  in  this  country 
previously.  And  this  was  done,  moreover,  not  in  New  York  alone,  but 
in  all  the  chief  cities  of  the  country,  and  in  works  of  such  magnitude  as 
IVajrner's  Lohengrin,  Flying  Dutchman,  and  in  the  splendid  revival  of 
Gliick's  Oi'pheus,  of  which  Mme.  Lena  Hastreiter  was  the  central  figure. 
Notable  successes  were  made  also  in  Goetz's  Taming  of  the  Shrcu  anJ 
Rubinstein's  N^cro,  both  of  them  presented  by  the  American  opera  for  the 
first  time  in  this  countrj-. 

It  is  Theodore  Thomas'  good  fortune  to  have  lived  until  his  early 
dreams  have  nearly  all  been  realized.  He  has  shown  the  American  people 
a  higher  type  of  orchestral  interpretation  than  can  be  realized  outside  one 
or  two  European  musical  centres,  and  in  the  opinion  of  many  good  judges 
he  has  surpassed  the  standard  of  those.  He  has  made  orchestral  music 
known  in  small  cities,  as  well  as  in  the  largest.  He  has  given  programmes 
ranging  from  the  preludes,  fugues  and  antique  fancies  of  Bach  to  the  latest 
cogitations  of  the  French  ballet  writers,  and  including  everything  between. 
The  large  number  of  selections  from  Wagner  led  some  ^-ears  ago  to  the 
charge  that  he  was  a  Wagner  enthusiast.  On  the  contrarj^  Mr.  Thomas 
is  an  enthusiast  for  everj^  good  master  of  orchestral  writing,  of  any  time 
or  school.  He  recognizes  Beethoven  as  the  head  of  all  times  and  all 
schools.  But  he  believes  that  the  true  way  of  making  this  fact  known  to 
the  people  is  by  permitting  them  to  hear  ever\'thing  until  the  best  works 
assume  their  proper  rank  through  the  operation  of  that  beneficent  principle 
of  the  survival  of  the  fittest.  His  readings  of  Beethoven  symphonies  are 
poetic  in  character  and  intensely  refined  and  finished.  In  his  later  years 
he  has  seemed  to  incline  toward  broader  conceptions,  with  less  attention 
to  the  merely  pretty,  and  more  feeling  for  strength.  It  is  proper  to  saj- 
of  his  work  that  while  he  has  succeeded  in  securing  attention  of  American 
audiences  to  the  highest  class  of  orchestral  music,  he  has  also  given  these 
works  with  readings  worth  remembering,  and  in  the  onlj'  flavor  which 
would  have  .secured  for  them  attention  at  the  time,  namely,  in  that  of 
careful  regard  for  smoothness  and  refinement  of  tone-color.  Nor  would 
this  notice  be  complete  without  mention  of  his  abilities  as  an  arranger. 
Of  this  many  examples  could  be  given.  All  the  old  tid-bits  with  which 
he  pleased  his  audiences  were  of  his  own  selection  and  arrangement,  such 
as  Schomann's  Traicnwrci,  Schubert's  Ave  Maria,  the  Handel's  Largo, 
the  Chopin  Funeral  March,  and  hundreds  of  others,  all  scored  with  that 

425 


delightful  richness  and  smoothness  which  onl}'  those  are  able  to  encompass 
who  live  in  an  orchestral  atmosphere. 

Many  times  in  the  course  of  his  useful  and  active  life  Mr.  Thomas 
has  been  the  object  of  honorary  degrees.  That  of  Doctor  of  Music  was 
conferred  b)^  Yale,  in  the  same  j-ear  as  President  Hayes'  LL.  D.  Other 
universities  have  conferred  the  same  degree  upon  him,  misled  by  his 
customary  disregard  of  learned  titles.  While  appreciating  the  honor 
intended,  Mr.  Thomas  is  disinclined  to  parade  such  marks  of  distinction. 

The  personal  qualities  of  this  great  leader  are  remarkable.  He  is  a 
born  leader,  a  general,  a  planner  of  campaigns,  with  a  head  for  details. 
He  systematizes  his  time,  and  accomplishes  double  and  triple  work  by  this 
means.  He  is  quick  in  action,  concise  in  speech,  gentle  in  disposition, 
and  refined  in  his  tastes.  As  a  commander  he  is  capable  of  being  arbitrary 
and  of  strict  discipline.  His  manner,  however,  is  always  gentlemanlyi 
and  the  power  is  felt  rather  than  asserted.  He  is  sensitive  to  a  degree. 
Having  suffered  much  from  premature  criticism,  he  has  come  to  disregard 
newspaper  opinions  almost  entirely.  While  capable  of  strong  attachments 
and  willing  to  do  much  for  those  he  loves,  he  has  his  own  work  to  do, 
and  is  not  easily  diverted  from  it.  Upon  the  whole,  it  must  be  said  that 
America  owes  him  a  great  debt.  And  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  he 
deserv'es  the  success  that  has  crowned  his  efforts  in  recent  years. 

Benjamin  John  Laxg. 

Among  the  names  most  honorable  in  American  musical  history,  that 
of  B.  J.  Lang,  of  Boston,  is  entitled  to  a  very  prominent  place.  He  was 
born  in  Boston,  Dec.  25,  1837,  the  son  of  a  piano  maker  who  was  also 
an  organist.  Thus  his  childhood  was  surrounded  by  musical  influences. 
He  passed  his  boyhood  in  Boston  in  the  days  of  Lowell  Mason,  the  Boston 
Academy  and  the  early  j-ears  of  Dwight"s/(?/^;.'/<:7/,  and  the  fresh  suggest- 
iveness  of  the  Brook  farm  project,  then  ver}-  recently  closed.  Mr.  Lang 
was  educated  at  the  Boston  schools  and  studied  music  regularly,  at  first 
under  his  father's  guidance,  later  under  the  best  teachers  in  Boston. 
When  his  literary  education  was  completed,  he  went  abroad  to  study 
(in  1855)  and  received  the  best  teaching  then  to  be  had  at  Berlin  and  else- 
where. He  had  early  distinguished  himself  as  pianist  and  organist,  the 
standard  of  technical  attainment  upon  the  latter  instrument  not  then  hav- 
ing reached  the  pitch  which  it  afterward  did.  Mr.  Lang  took  charge  of 
the  organ  in  the  first  church  (Unitarian)  when  he  was  fifteen.  Afterward 
he  ser\-ed  successively  Somerset  street  church  (Dr.  Neale's),  Old  South 
(twenty  j-ears),  South  Congregationalist,  and  now  for  eight  j-ears  at 
King's  chapel.      In  1857  he  became  organist  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn 

426 


I 


Society,  in  this  capacitj'  assisting  at  all  their  concerts,  and  many  of  their 
rehearsals  down  to  the  present  time.  In  1868  the  Apollo  Musical  Club 
was  formed,  a  choir  of  male  voices  numbering  about  forty,  and  Mr.  Lang 
was  duly  elected  leader.  In  this  capacity  he  has  continued  ever  since, 
producing  a  vast  number  of  musical  works,  many  of  them  of  great  impor- 
tance from  an  educational  point  of  view.  The  Apollo  Club  still  occupies 
an  honorable  position  in  Boston,  the  concerts  being  sold  out  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  season,  the  audiences  being  distinguished  for  elegance  and 
musical  appreciation  —  a  combination  rare  outside  the  limits  of  Boston. 
The  standard  of  vocal  work  in  this  societ}-  has  always  been  high,  and  it 
was  one  of  the  first  to  introduce  many  of  the  better  class  of  compositions 
of  this  school. 

In  1874  the  Cecilia  choir  was  formed  of  female  voices.  This,  besides 
giving  concerts  upon  its  own  account,  co-operates  with  the  Apollo  Club 
in  large  choral  works  for  mixed  voices,  both  societies  having  been  from 
their  foundation  under  the  same  direction.  Among  the  large  works 
brought  to  a  first  hearing  in  Boston  under  Mr.  Lang's  baton  are  Mendels- 
sohn's first  WalpTirgis  Night,  Berlioz's  Damnation  of  Faust  and  Requiem, 
Brahms'  Requiem,  Bruch's  Odysseiis,  Dvorak's  Stabat  Mater  a.n6.  Spectre 
Bride.  Among  many  other  interesting  experiments  made  b}-  Mr.  Lang 
as  conductor  was  that  of  repeating  the  same  work  twice  in  an  evening,  in 
order  to  afford  a  better  familiarity  with  it.  This  he  did  with  the  Men- 
delssohn Walpurgis  Night  and  others. 

As  pianist  Mr.  Lang  has  a  singularly  honorable  record.  For  more 
than  thirty  years  he  has  been  a  prominent  figure  at  the  Harvard  symphony 
concerts  and  the  like,  where,  as  solo  pianist,  he  has  introduced  all  the  great 
concertos,  many  of  them  for  the  first  time  in  Boston.  He  has  also  brought 
forward  many  half- forgotten  ones,  which  in  their  daj-s  were  epoch-marking 
w^orks.  In  short,  his  activity  in  this  line  has  been  that  of  a  thoughtful 
educator  and  an  enterprising  artist,  mindful  of  the  best  interests  of  the 
city.  Mr.  Lang  was  one  of  the  original  Wagner  supporters  in  America, 
and  perhaps  the  very  first  to  raise  monej^  for  the  aid  of  struggling  genius. 
He  enjoj^ed  the  friendship  of  Wagner,  and  believes  the  time  will  come 
when  his  name  will  be  spoken  of  as  reverently  as  that  of  Beethoven  now 
is.  He  also  thinks  that  the  ear  for  music  is  in  process  of  development, 
and  that  the  power  of  co-ordinating  tonal  impressions  will  become  so  much 
more  acute  and  far-reaching  than  at  present,  that  the  most  astonishing 
combinations  of  Wagner  and  Berlioz  will  become  simple  to  the  musicians 
of  the  future,  as  most  of  those  of  Haydn  and  Mozart  have  become  simple 
to  the  advanced  musicians  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Lang's  activit>-  as  jiromoter  cf  the  Harvard  symphony  concerts, 


the  Boston  orchestra,  and  all  enterprises  for  the  higher  musical  privileges 
of  Boston,  has  been  most  honorable  and  advantageous.  For  ten  years, 
from  1868  to  1878,  he  gave  illustrated  lectures  upon  the  programmes  of 
forthcoming  concerts.  He  is  happily  married,  and  lives  in  elegance.  His 
class  of  private  pupils  upon  the  pianoforte  belongs  to  the  very  elite  of 
Boston,  and  is  as  distinguished  for  talent  as  for  style  —  a  combination 
peculiarly  Bostonian. 

Mr.  Lang's  compositions  are  mostly  in  manuscript.  His  chief  work 
is  an  oratorio  of  David.  It  is  of  decided  interest.  The  form  is  essentially 
original.  The  story  of  David  is  told  mainly  in  recitative,  with  accom- 
panying orchestral  description,  and  the  psalms  or  parts  of  them  supposed 
to  have  been  written  at  the  time  are  then  treated  as  choruses,  quartettes, 
or  in  other  appropriate  lyric  forms.  The  events  thus  go  on  in  chronological 
order,  the  first  part  ending  with  the  chant  of  the  old  time  church,  and  the 
second  or  last  part,  with  a  great  chorus  set  to  one  of  the  Messianic  psalms. 
It  is  not  altogether  to  the  credit  of  Boston  that  a  work  of  this  magnitude, 
by  a  local  composer,  should  have  been  left  so  long  unheard,  but  this  very 
likely  may  be  due  to  the  composer's  modesty. 

In  singular  contrast  to  the  clearness  of  his  thought,  and  the  clever- 
with  which  he  adapts  means  to  ends  in  all  the  complicated  relations  of  his 
busy  life,  Mr.  Lang  is  entitled  to  the  distinction  of  writing  perhaps  the 
very  worst  "hand  "  on  record.  It  might  be  mistaken  by  a  stranger  for 
spider  tracks  upon  the  paper.  If  this  peculiarity  of  an  otherwise  emi- 
nently practical  New  Englander  can  be  supposed  to  possess  psychological 
meaning,  it  must  be  an  indication  of  a  mind  too  elevated  for  groveling 
with  pen  and  paper.  Mr.  Lang  is  hale  and  hearty,  a  young  man,  albeit 
somewhat  thinly  thatched  with  white  and  gray  upon  the  top  of  his  well 
rounded  skull,  and  there  is  reason  to  hope  for  his  continued  service  in  the 
art  he  loves  so  well,  and  so  modestly  honors,  for  many  j-ears  to  come. 

Carl  Zerrahn. 
This  accomplished  musician,  widely  known  as  the  conductor  of  the 
Harvard  symphony  concerts  and  also  of  the  Boston  Handel  and  Haydn 
Society  concerts,  as  well  as  prominently  before  the  public  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  great  "  Peace  Jubilee"  in  1869  and  1872,  and  in  New  York 
and  San  Francisco,  was  born  at  Malchon,  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Mech- 
linburg-Schwerin  on  July  28,  1826.  He  began  the  study  of  music  in  his 
twelfth  year  at  Rostock,  under  Freidrich  Weber,  subsequently  studying  at 
Hanover  and  Berlin.  Among  the  democratic  enthusiasts  expatriated  from 
Germany  by  the  revolutionary  events  of  1848,  was  a  number  of  young 
musicians,  including  Zerrahn.     Out  of  these  was  formed  the  "  Germania 


28 


429 


Musical  Societ}-,"  an  orchestral  organization  which  gave  concerts  of  class- 
ical music  with  considerable  success  in  the  principal  cities  throughout  the 
United  States,  and  in  which  Zerrahn  gained  much  reputation  by  his 
performances  as  first  flute.  In  1854  he  was  appointed  conductor  of  the 
Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  an  important  musical  association  of  Boston, 
and  this  position  he  has  filled  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  advantage 
to  the  association  and  to  the  cause  of  music  up  to  the  present  time.  For 
several  years  after  the  date  above  mentioned  the  onh'  concerts  of  classical 
music  given  in  Boston  were  given  by  Zerrahn  at  his  own  risk.  In  1865 
the  Harvard  symphony  concerts  were  instituted,  and  Mr.  Zerrahn  was 
appointed  conductor  of  these,  filling  the  position  ably  and  acceptably  till 
the  concerts  were  abandoned  in  1883.  He  conducts  also  the  annual 
Autumn  Festiv^als  at  Worcester,  Mass,  and  since  the  date  of  its  organiza- 
tion in  1868  has  had  the  care  of  the  Oratorio  Society  of  Salem,  Mass.  In 
addition  to  this  there  is  hardly  a  musical  enterprise  or  activity  in  Boston 
and  the  surrounding  cities  that  does  not  get  or  has  not  yet  had  the  benefit 
of  his  unceasing  and  enthusiastic  musical  industry.  Under  his  direction 
New  England  has  had  the  ben<ifit  of  the  production  of  some  of  the  grandest 
masterpieces  of  oratorio  from  the  great  masters,  Handel  and  Haydn, 
always  in  a  creditable  and  efficient  manner,  and  sometimes  with  the 
powerful  interpretation  of  the  highest  musical'  talent.  By  this  means  a 
great  and  important  stimulus  has  been  given  to  musical  interest  in  New 
England,  and  that  interest  has  been  focused  upon  the  higher  walks  of  the 
art,  thus  educating  an  elevated  taste  that  has  already  proved  of  the  greatest 
advantage  to  the  progress  of  musical  culture  in  the  right  direction,  and  that 
must  be  fruitful  of  the  best  results  hereafter.  The  name  of  Carl  Zerrahn 
is  inseparably  connected  with  the  leading  musical  events  in  the  history  of 
the  higher  walks  of  the  art  in  Boston.  In  1 866  he  was  appointed  conductor 
of  the  annual  symphony  concerts  of  the  Harvard  Musical  Association, 
a  position  he  has  ever  since  held.  At  the  first  of  the  triennial  festivals  of 
the  Oratorio  Society  he  was  the  conductor,  with  an  orchestra  of  over  100 
instruments,  a  chorus  of  700  voices,  and  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang  presiding  at  the 
organ.  Mr.  Zerrahn  is  still  actively  engaged  in  the  field  of  musical 
cultivation  which  he  has  so  highly  honored  that  it  is  a  duty  and  a  pleasure 
to  in  some  small  measure  aid  in  honoring  his  ser\'ices. 


430 


Ct^A^-y^z^ 


THE  ORATORIO  vSOCIETY  OF  XEW  YORK. 

"s'HIS  societj'was  organized  in  1873  and  incorporated  in  1875.     Dr. 

:    Leopold  Damrosch  was  the  promoter  of  the  scheme,  and  the  ob- 

«=^  ject  was  the  promotion   and  cultivation  of  choral  music,  both 


I'^y^  sacred  and  secular,  by  the  study  and  public  performance  of  high- 
class  works.  The  first  concert  was  given  at  Knabe  hall,  Dec.  3, 
1873,  with  a  chorus  of  twenty-eight,  and  in  the  course  of  ten  years 
the  society  gave  ninet3'-three  public  performances  and  rendered  forty-four 
works  or  parts  of  works.  In  1881  this,  in  connection  with  the  Symphony 
Society,  carried  out  the  first  New  York  Maj-  festival,  with  a  chorus  of 
1,200  and  an  orchestra  of  287.  The  average  audience  for  the  seven  con- 
certs was  9,100  persons.  The  programme  included  Berlioz's  Grande 
Messe  des  Marts;  Rubinstein's  Tower  0/ Babel  {tho.  performances  of  these 
two  being  the  first  in  America);  Handel's  Messiah  and  Dcttingen  Te 
Dciiin;  Beethoven's  ninth  symphonj' and  parts  of  Wagner' s.^<?w/'<?r.f/«^(?r. 
The  society  has  been  eminently  successful  in  every  respect,  and  no  small 
portion  of  this  success  is  due  to  Dr.  Damrosch's  untiring  energ}-  and  abilit3\ 
Among  other  important  works  performed  at  various  concerts  are  the  ora- 
torios, Samson,  Judas  Maccabceiis  (Handel);  St.  Paul,  Elijah  (Mendels- 
sohn); Christus  (Liszt);  Creation  (Haydn);  cantatas,  Ruth  and  N'aomi 
(Damrosch);  Walpurgis  Night  (Mendelssohn);  Seasons  (Haydn);  God's 
Time  is  Our  Time  (Bach);  Alexander' s  Feast  (Handel);  Beethoven's 
ninth  symphony  and  Ruins  of  Athens;  Berlioz's  Fall  of  Troy  and  Damna- 
tion of  Faust;  Bach's  Passion  Music,  etc.  The  society  is  now  one  of  the 
recognized  musical  institutions  of  the  countr}',  has  been  a  financial  success, 
and  can  point  to  a  record  of  which  any  musical  societj-  in  the  world  would 
be  proud. 

Leopold  Damrosch 

Was  born  at  Posen,  Prussia,  Oct.  22,  1832.  His  father,  a  man  of  culture 
with  a  strong  taste  for  music,  did  not  like  the  idea  of  his  son  becoming  a 
professional  musician,  and  discouraged  the  notion,  though  pleased  with 
the  lad's  progress.  Young  Damrosch  took  up  the  violin  and  studied  it 
unknown  to  his  parents.  He  graduated  with  high  honors  as  doctor  of 
medicine  at  the  University  of  Berlin,  but  did  not  relinquish  his  musical 

432 


Dr.  ly.  Damrosch. 


433 


studies.  His  master  in  violin  playing  was  Concertmeister  Ries,  and  Dehn 
and  Bohmer  taught  him  theory  and  composition.  He  became  a  solo  violin- 
ist, and  his  playing  in  various  German  cities  gained  him  a  wide  reputa- 
tion. In  1855  li^  went  to  Weimar,  the  home  of  Liszt,  who  was  so  pleased 
with  his  playing  that  he  gave  him  the  position  of  solo  violinist  in  the 
Grand  Duke's  orchestra,  a  position  that  he  filled  for  about  eighteen  months. 
Liszt  became  a  very  warm  friend  of  his,  and  dedicated  Tasso,  the  second 
of  his  symphonic  poems,  to  him.  Wagner  also  was  a  firm  friend.  Just 
before  the  death  of  the  great  composer  he  sent  to  Dr.  Damrosch  the 
famous  finale  to  the  first  act  of  Parsifal,  in  manuscript,  in  token  of 
his  esteem.  From  Weimar  he  went  to  Breslau,  where  he  made  his  debut 
as  conductor  of  the  Philharmonic  concerts,  and  remained  in  that  capacity' 
for  about  a  year.  He  then  made  a  concert  tour  with  Von  Bulow  and 
Tausig.  In  1861  Dr.  Damrosch  returned  and  organized  a  symphony 
society,  with  an  orchestra  of  eighty  players.  Thej'  gave  twelve  concerts 
each  season,  and  met  with  remarkable  success.  At  these  concerts  some  of 
the  most  famous  artists  of  the  day  made  their  appearance  —  Rubinstein, 
Yon  Bulow,  Tausig,  Joachim,  ]\Ime.  Viardot-Garcia,  and  on  more  than 
one  occasion  Liszt  and  Wagner  personally  assumed  the  baton. 

The  Arion  Society  of  New  York  invited  Dr.  Damrosch  in  1871  to 
become  its  conductor,  and  his  first  public  appearance  in  America  was 
made  at  the  Steinway  hall,  on  May  6  of  that  j'ear,  as  composer,  con- 
ductor and  violinist.  He  \vas  welcomed  with  enthusiasm.  He  organ- 
ized the  Oratorio  Society  of  New  York,  in  1873,  and  five  j-ears  later  the 
Symphony  Society  of  New  York,  the  orchestra  of  which  is  now  so  noted. 
Through  Dr.  Damrosch'  skill  and  energy,  both  societies  have  achieved 
success,  and  through  his  efforts  many  important  works  have  been  brought 
before  the  public  for  the  first  time.  In  1880  the  Columbia  college  of  New 
York,  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music.  In  the  following 
5'ear  he  had  charge  of  the  music  at  the  New  York  Ma}-  festival,  when  his 
facult}-  for  organizing  and  controlling  musical  forces  was  displayed  in  an 
eminent  degree.  He  then  made  with  his  orchestra,  a  tour  of  the  west, 
and  gave  a  fine  series  of  programmes.  In  1884  he  accepted  the  position 
of  conductor  and  impresario,  at  the  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  and  left 
at  once  for  Europe  to  engage  a  company.  He  saw  the  realization  of  his 
hopes  ^  the  success  of  German  opera  in  New  York  —  but  not  for  long. 
He  died,  after  a  short  illness,  Feb.  15,  1885. 

His  chief  talent  was,  of  course,  as  a  conductor,  and  in  this  he  has 
had  few  rivals,  but  he  is  also  not  unknown  as  a  composer  and  violinist. 
Among  his  compositions,  which  are  not  numerous,  may  be  mentioned, 
Ruth  and  Naomi,  cantata;  a  festival  overture,  and  other  orchestral  pieces; 


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455 


some  pieces  for  the  violin;  a  collection  of  ciuirch  music,  SL  Cecilia;  sev- 
eral male  choruses,  and  some  songs.  Dr.  Damrosch  was  of  a  kindly, 
genial  nature,  and  his  death  was  a  heavy  loss,  not  alone  to  the  musical 
world,  where  he  had  done  his  life  work,  but  to  a  wide  circle  of  pe  sonal 
friends. 

New  York  Symphony  Society. 

.  This  orchestral  organization  was  the  result  of  the  late  Dr.  Damrosch' s 
personal  inspiration.  It  was  organized  in  1878,  and  chartered  April  8, 
1879,  for  the  study  and  public  performance  of  different  forms  of  classical 
music,  especially  symphony.  Among  those  most  prominent  in  its  forma- 
tion were  Messrs.  Morris  Reno,  F.  Beringer,  Wm.  H.  Draper,  August 
Lewis,  Benj.  J.  Phelps,  etc.  It  gives  regularly  twelve  public  performances 
each  season,  and  its  programmes  have  been  remarkable  for  the  number  of 
new  works  presented.  The  society  was  prosperous  from  the  start,  and 
after  the  death  of  Dr.  Damrosch,  the  direction  was  transferred  to  the  hand 
of  his  son,  Mr.  Walter  Damrosch,  who  inherits  muchof  his  father's  ability' 
as  musician  and  director.  This  society  represents  American  progress  in 
orchestral  music,  or  perhaps  more  properly,  New  York  progress  in 
resources  of  this  kind,  in  the  fact  of  its  being  organized  and  maintained 
out  of  material  already  existing  in  the  community,  without  interfering 
perceptibly  with  the  work  of  older  organizations  in  the  same  field.  The 
concerts  of  the  societ)-  are  given  with  an  orchestra  numbering  from  eighty- 
five  to  one  hundred  and  twenty.  The  audiences  are  of  the  best,  and  very 
large  in  number.  It  is  one  of  the  most  creditable  organizations  in  the 
country. 

Frederic  Herbert  Torrington, 
One  of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  the  Canadian  musical  world,  was 
born  in  Dudley,  England,  in  1837,  and  was  taught  piano,  organ  and  har- 
mony b)'  James  Fitzgerald,  of  Kidderminster.  In  1853  he  became  organ- 
ist and  choir  master  of  St.  Ann's  church,  Bewdle}-.  Four  years  later  he 
left  England  for  Montreal,  where  he  was  appointed  organist  of  Great  St. 
James  Street  church,  a  position  he  held  for  twelve  years.  During  his  resi- 
dence in  that  city  he  founded  several  vocal  societies  and  the  Montreal 
Amateur  Musical  Union  Orchestra.  He  also  gained  a  high  reputation  as 
a  violin  soloist.  In  September,  1868,  he  gave  a  performance  on  the  great 
organ  at  Boston  and  was  very  favorably  criticised.  Shortly  after,  at  the 
invitation  of  Mr.  Gilmore,  he  formed  the  Canadian  orchestral  contingent 
for  the  first  great  Boston  jubilee.  At  the  close  of  that  festival  he  was 
offered  and  accepted  the  position  of  organist  at  King's  chapel,  Boston,  and 
held  it  for  four  years      During  this  time  he  was  one  of  the  regular  solo 

436 


organists  at  the  Music  Hall,  one  of  the  first  violins  in  the  Harvard  Sj'm- 
phony  Orchestra,  a  teacher  of  the  piano  at  the  New  England  Conser\^a- 
tor\'  of  Music,  conductor  of  six  vocal  societies,  and  was  often  solo  organ- 
ist at  the  concerts  in  Henry  Ward  Beecher's  church  at  Brooklyn.  In 
1872  Mr.  Torrington  conducted  the  mass  rehearsals  of  the  great  chorus  of 
20,000  voices  for  the  second  Boston  Peace  Jubilee.  The  following  year 
he  removed  to  Toronto,  and  was  at  once  appointed  organist  and  choir- 
master of  the  Metropolitan  church  and  conductor  of  the  Toronto  Philhar- 
monic Society. 

The  successful  development  of  this  society  was  entirely  due  to  Mr. 
Torrington's  ability  and  energy.  The  society  was  founded  in  1872,  and 
at  the  time  he  took  hold  of  it,  was  a  small  choir  largel}'  dependent  upon 
the  piano  for  its  accompaniments.  Now  it  is  a  large  and  flourishing 
societ}-,  with  a  chorus  of  three  hundred  picked  voices,  an  efficient  orches- 
tra of  sixty  musicians,  and  means  to  engage  the  best  solo  talent  on  the 
continent.  It  has  produced  from  thirty  to  fort\-  chief  works  of  the  great 
masters,  some  of  them  more  than  once,  and  many  of  them  for  the  first  time 
in  America.  The  societj'  has  done  a  good  work  for  music,  and  has  been 
the  pioneer  of  numerous  other  societies  in  the  province.  For  some  years 
Mr.  Torrington  was  also  conductor  of  the  Hamilton  Philharmonic 
Society,  which  has  given  many  standard  and  modern  works.  In  1886 
Mr.  Torrington  originated  and  carried  to  a  successful  issue  the  first 
Toronto  Musical  Festival.  This  consisted  of  four  concerts,  given  by  a 
chorus  of  one  thousand,  a  school  children's  chorus  of  1,200,  an  orchestra 
of  about  one  hundred,  and  the  following  principal  soloists:  Lilli  Lehmann, 
Mrs.  E.  Osgood,  Mrs.  Gertrude  Luther,  Miss  Agnes  Huntington,  Albert 
L.  King,  Max  Heinrich  and  D.  M.  Babcock.  The  public  of  Toronto 
subscribed  $35,000  as  a  guarantee  fund,  but  this  proved  to  be  unnecessary, 
the  festival  being  an  eminent  financial  success.  Gounod's  Mors  ct  Vita 
and  Handel's  Israel  in  Egypt  were  the  works  given,  and  two  miscella- 
neous concerts.  A  permanent  result  of  the  festival  was  the  organization 
a  few  months  later  of  the  Torrington  Orchestra,  which  has  been  developed 
into  an  excellent  concert  organization,  and  has  given  nine  highly  success- 
ful concerts.  But  Mr.  Torrington's  best  work  up  to  this  date  was  in  the 
foundation  of  the  Toronto  College  of  Music. 

This  promising  institution  was  founded  in  September,  1888,  in  a  build- 
ing specially  arranged  for  the  purpose,  with  a  fine  music  hall  within  its 
walls,  and  a  grand  organ.  The  college  is  established  upon  an  essentially 
practical  basis,  has  a  large  staff  of  competent  and  thoroughly  qualified 
instructors,  holds  numerous  concerts,  piano  and  organ  recitals.,  etc,  and 
possesses  a  long  list  of  scholarships,  prizes  and  medals,  while  the  fees  are 


comparatively  low.  So  successful  has  the  college  been  in  just  a  little 
over  a  year  that  plans  are  being  made  for  the  enlargement  of  the  building. 
Mr.  Torrington  is  also  the  organizer  of  the  Toronto  Quintette  Club, 
the  serai-centennial  festival  in  1884,  the  Apollo  Club,  the  Sym- 
phonj-  Orchestra  and  the  University  College  Glee  Club.  For  five  years 
he  was  director  of  music  at  the  Whitby  Ladies'  College,  and  for  nine 
years  teacher  of  vocal  music  at  Loretto  Abbey.  He  has  been  remarkably 
successful  as  a  teacher,  and  many  of  his  pupils  have  gained  a  wide  reputa- 
tion. It  would  be  interesting  to  trace,  were  there  opportunity,  the 
history  of  music  in  Toronto  from  the  time  when  it  was  a  muddy  little 
place  called  York  (about  18 18),  the  only  resident  musician  being  Mr. 
Maxwell,  who  was  distinguished  "for  his  defective  eyesight  and  for  his 
homely  skill  on  the  violin,"  to  Mr.  Torrington's  day  when  every  member 
of  a  great  work  is  criticized  with  merciless  judgment  by  "the  men  who 
have  failed  in  literature  and  art."  Few  men  can  point  to  so  busy  a  life 
and  full  a  record  as  Mr.  Torrington,  and  fewer  men  to  the  eminent  success 
which  has  crowned  his  tireless  eflforts. 

William  Lawrence  Tomlins. 

This  distinguished  musical  educator,  conductor  and  artist,  was  bom 
Feb.  4,  1844,  in  London,  England.  His  childhood  was  musical,  and  his 
earliest  education  in  music  was  obtained  as  choir  boy.  He  also  attended  the 
classes  of  the  Tonic  Sol-Fa  and  the  Royal  Academj'  of  Music,  having  been 
a  favorite  pupil  in  harmony  of  Dr.  Macfarren,  himself.  His  proficiency 
upon  the  harmonium  and  organ  were  such  that  he  acted  as  organist  at  an 
early  age,  and  his  general  maturity  in  music  may  be  judged  from  the  fact 
of  his  conducting  a  performance  of  Handel's  Messiah  with  good  solo 
artists,  orchestra  and  chorus,  when  he  was  but  seventeen  years  old. 
W^hile  still  very  young  for  such  a  position,  he  was  examiner  and  inspector 
of  certificates  for  music  teachers  in  the  board  schools,  his  department 
being  the  harmonium,  with  power  to  traverse  the  certificates  of  the  lower 
examiners.  At  the  age  of  about  twenty-two  he  was  one  of  the  board  of 
managers  of  the  Tonic  Sol-Fa  college.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1870, 
and  for  five  years  served  various  churches  as  organist,  and  traveled  for 
nearly  two  years  with  the  Ritchings- Bernard  Old  Folks  Company,  with 
the  Mason  &  Hamlin  orchestral  organ,  a  powerful  instrument  of  large 
artistic  capacities,  which  no  one  else  could  properlj-  illustrate.  While  in 
this  business  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  made  his  first  acquaintance  with 
the  musicians  here  at  private  concerts  given  at  Mason  &  Hamlin's  rooms. 
The  Apollo  Musical  Club  was  then  just  out  of  a  leader,  the  incumbent 
being  manifestly  incapable.     Mr.  Tomlins'  abilities  as  conductor  of  vocal 


Wm.  L    Tomlins 


439 


music  were  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  club,  and  he  was  immediately 
engaged.  This  was  in  1875.  He  took  the  club  when  its  prestige  was 
lost.  It  could  neither  sing  nor  draw.  Under  his  administration  it  has 
been  enlarged  to  a  mixed  chorus,  and  this  again  has  been  increased  to 
upwards  of  four  hundred  voices.  The  fourteen  years  training  of  Mr. 
Tomlins  has  made  this  body  of  singers  one  of  the  most  competent  in  the 
world,  and  a  long  and  brilliant  list  of  modem  and  classical  works  has 
been  produced  by  the  club  in  splendid  shape.  The  technique  of  the  singers 
may  be  judged  from  their  having  sung  the  difficult  chromatic,  unaccom- 
panied, quartette  irom  Rossini's  S^adai  Male?',  Quando  Corpus  Morietur, 
and  repeated  it,  without  falling  from  the  key.  Their  work  in  Handel's 
Messiah,  which  they  give  every  Christmas,  is  something  delightful. 

Mr.  Tomlins  trained  the  choruses  of  the  May  festivals,  and  in  every 
way  has  been  identified  with  the  best  musical  interests  of  the  city.  In 
1 88 1  he  began  his  work  with  children's  voices,  his  idea  being  to  train 
children  to  sing  easily,  naturally  and  with  feeling,  from  the  start. 
Accordingly,  he  began  with  a  chorus  of  two  hundred  voices,  and  after 
training  them  for  two  years,  twenty  lessons  a  year,  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas 
heard  them  and  said  that  he  had  never  heard  anything  like  it.  The  great 
singer,  Mme.  Christine  Nilsson,  heard  them  in  1884,  and  her  commenda- 
tion was  equally  ample,  generous  and  conclusive.  The  children's  classes 
have  increased  to  three,  and  there  is  now  connected  with  them  a  teachers' 
class,  for  the  study  of  the  principles  and  method  of  teaching  ;  the  work 
has  told  so  decidedly  in  Chicago  that  Mr.  Tomlins  is  employed  to  teach 
singing  in  the  high  schools.  He  is  also  a  teacher  of  solo  singing,  and  an 
organist  —  having  sen-ed  in  this  latter  capacity  for  several  years  in  differ- 
ent churches  in  town.  For  ten  years  he  conducted  the  Arion  Musical 
Club,  of  Milwaukee,  but  was  obliged  to  give  up  this  department  of  his 
work  in  1888.  As  a  chorus  master,  Mr.  Tomlins  has  genius.  He  is  able 
to  take  new  material,  and.  in  a  comparatively  brief  period,  transform  it 
into  a  capable  chorus,  provided  only  that  the  two  indispensables  are  not 
wanting  —  good  voices  and  musical  disposition.  He  is  equally  strong  in 
three  respects  :  In  his  mastery  of  the  principles  of  chorus  technique  ;  in 
his  ability  to  inspire  a  chorus  and  awaken  in  the  singers  an  intuitive  grasp 
of  the  author's  meaning  ;  and  in  the  elementarj-  teaching,  to  which  art 
he  brings  not  alone  the  indispensable  qualifications  of  artistic  sympathy 
and  feeling,  but  also  a  wealth  of  immagination  and  fancy,  and  a  fascinat- 
ing art  of  putting  things.  He  is  a  master  in  ever>-  sense  of  the  term,  and 
his  adopted  city  has  derived  much  advantage  from  his  living  therein.  In 
person  Mr.  Tomlins  is  of  medium  height,  dark  eyes,  and  a  pronounced 
brunette  complextion,  becoming  luminous  under  excitement. 


The  most  successful  effort  to  establish  orchestral  concerts  in  Chicago 
and  maintain  them  at  a  high  degree  of  efficienc\'  has  been  made  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Chicago  Turner  Society,  which  has  given  orchestral 
concerts  more  or  less  continuously  for  many  years,  but  not  until  Mr. 
Rosenbecker  took  charge  of  their  business  and  musical  management 
were  they  pecuniarily  successful,  or  distinguished  fo"  artistic  qualitJ^ 

Adolphe  Rosenbecker 

Was  born  in  185 1  at  Heinfurth,  a  small  village  near  Frankfort-on-the- 
Main.  The  child  early  showed  that  passion  for  music  which  has  charac- 
terized his  life,  and  which  was  no  doubt  due  to  the  subtle  influence  of 
musical  parents.  His  father,  recognizing  the  fact,  presented  Adolphe 
with  a  little  violin,  on  which  he  played  all  day  long,  sometimes  not  to  the 
delight  of  his  mother.  But  mothers  are  patient  and  time  soon  slips  by. 
Adolphe  was  eight  years  old  when  he  began  to  take  lessons  from  the  vil- 
lage schoolmaster,  who  soon  reported  to  the  father  that  he  had  taught  his 
pupil  all  he  himself  knew,  so  the  boy  was  sent  to  a  neighboring  town 
(where  where  an  orchestra  played  through  the  summer  months)  to  take 
lessons  from  tho  leader,  B.  Triebel,  a  good  violinist  and  now  a  composer 
of  some  fame.  After  two  years  he  went  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  where 
Ruppert  Becker,  a  member  of  the  theatre  orchestra,  was  his  master. 
There  he  also  began  taking  lessons  in  harmonj-  from  C.  Hauff,  author  of 
Hauff's  Harmojiilehre,  a  well  known  work  on  that  subject.  When  he 
was  onl}'  fourteen  3-ears  of  age  he  began  to  plaj'  in  the  orchestra  at  the 
Saalbau  concerts,  and  continued  to  do  so,  studying  all  the  while,  for  two 
years  and  a  half  He  then  went  to  the  conservatory  at  Leipzig,  where  at 
that  time  Ferd  David,  one  of  the  best  violin  teachers  who  ever  lived,  was 
the  instructor  on  that  instrument. 

David  soon  took  a  liking  to  the  lad,  who  advanced  rapidly  to  the 
higher  classes,  and  was  one  of  the  performers  in  the  public  entertainments 
of  the  conservatory.  One  day  Adolphe  was  made  the  happiest  boy  in  the 
world  when  he  was  told  that  he  should  plaj-  first  violin  in  the  famous 
Gewandhaus  concerts,  a  rare  honor.  Here  he  had  the  privilege  of  hear- 
ing the  great  artists,  Joachim,  Wilhelmj,  Laub,  Tausig,  Rubinstein, 
Saint-Saens,  Moscheles,  Reinecke,  Drej'schock  and  others.  On  Sunday 
mornings  David  regularly  arranged  a  string  quartette  in  which  Adolphe 
and  Felix  Meyer,  another  favorite  pupil,  took  part,  aided  by  a  violoncel- 
list from  the  theatre.  He  taught  quartette  playing  on  scientific  principles. 
One  day  David  himself  would  take  first  violin,  Mej-er  second,  and  Adolphe 
viola;  they  had  to  listen  how  the  master  played  it,  yet  play  their  own 
parts.     The  second  Sunday  the  same  quartette  would  be  played,  with 

441 


Meyer  first  violin,  Adolphe  second,  and  David  viola.  The  third  Sunday 
the  order  would  be,  Adolphe  first,  David  second,  and  Meyer  viola.  By 
this  means  each  one  played  three  different  parts,  the  'cello,  of  course,  re- 
maining always  the  same,  and  a  quartette  thus  learned  could  hardly  be 
forgotten. 

Adolphe  remained  under  this  master  for  a  year  and  a  half  David 
wanted  him  to  stop  for  another  year,  promising  him  free  tuition  and  to 
make  a  great  violinist  of  him.  But  he  either  had  to  leave  his  countrj-  or 
serve  in  the  German  armj',  and  iu  the  latter  case  the  violin  playing  might 
have  come  to  an  end  forever,  unless,  in  consideration  of  his  talents,  the 
kind  Master  of  the  Future  had  allowed  Adolphe  to  play  upon  a  wooden 
violin  instead  of  a  golden  harp.  Mayhap,  being  a  musician,  he  would 
have  been  permitted  by  the  leader  of  the  Danse  Macabre  to  rattle  his  bones 
more  often  and  more  harmoniousl}^  than  the  rest  of  the  skeleton  crowd, 
but  Adolphe  loved  life  and  the  fleshly  tuning  of  a  violin. 

So  in  November,  1869,  became  to  America,  and,  having  some  friends 
in  New  York,  made  up  his  mind  to  stay  in  that  city.  After  a  few  weeks' 
struggle  he  found  engagement  at  the  German  Opera,  where  Neuendorf  was 
conductor.  One  night  Mr.  Thomas  came  to  sit  by  him,  and  asked  him  if 
he  would  play  in  his  orchestra,  at  that  time  perhaps  one  of  the  best  in  the 
world.  In  relating  this  incident  Adolph  said:  "  As  pie  was  a  new  thing, 
to  me,  of  course,  I  took  it  without  asking  what  kind."  For  eight  years 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Thomes  orchestra,  learned  orchestral  playing, 
and  gained  experience  in  every  way.  There  is  an  anecdote  worth  relating 
about  Rosenbecker's  first  experience  with  the  orchestra.  Boston  was  the 
first  place  at  which  they  played,  and  the  3'oung  German,  unused  to  travel- 
ing all  day,  was  tired  and  lay  down  to  rest,  not  intending  to  sleep.  After 
a  time  some  one  called  him,  and  he  asked  dreamily  if  it  was  time  for  the 
concert.  "Time!"  was  the  answer,  "concerts  don't  begin  at  eleven 
o'clock  at  night."  It  was  his  companion  in  the  orchestra  who  had  found 
him,  after  the  performance  was  over,  fast  asleep,  and  had  awakened  him. 
Adolph  wished  himself  in  Germany  again,  or  somewhere  else,  but  the 
only  result  was  a  gentle  reprimand  from  Mr.  Thomas,  and  the  artist  was 
never  late  again.  In  course  of  time  he  became  one  of  the  favored  mem- 
bers of  the  orchestra,  and  he,  Michael  Brand,  of  Cincintiati,  and  Charles 
Hemman,  the  first  'cello,  formed  a  trio  whom  Mr.  Thomas  generally 
called  ' '  my  young  dogs. ' ' 

In  1877,  Rosen becker  left  Mr.  Thomas,  and  made  Chicago  his  home. 
He  became  associated  presently  with  Florence  Ziegfeld  as  violin  teacher, 
at  the  Chicago  Musical  College,  but  the  following  winter  he  left  there,  and 
was  elected  conductor  of  the  Turner  Hall  concerts,  a  position  which  he 


<U^^-tyui^-iL^^^^ 


443 


still  holds.  At  first  the  concerts  did  not  pay,  but  after  a  while,  owing  ta 
Rosenbecker's  good  management  and  ability  as  a  leader,  the  houses  grew 
larger  and  larger,  Wilhelmj,  Joseify,  Neupert,  and  other  artists,  were 
engaged  from  time  to  time,  and  now  the  orchestra  numbers  forty-five 
men,  and  when  the  World's  Fair  comes  to  the  city  in  1892  Adolph 
Rosenbecker  hopes  to  be  able  to  show  Chicago  people  and  the  world  that 
' '  the  windy  city  ' '  has  an  orchestra  fully  able  to  compete  with  any.  Mr. 
Rosenbecker  does  not  make  his  boast  altogether  in  vain,  and  all  lovers  of 
the  city  of  his  adoption  may  hope  that  he  maj^  yet  realize  his  dream. 

Mr.  Rosenbecker  is  teacher  of  the  violin  at  the  Chicago  Conserva- 
torj',  and  leader  of  a  string  quartette,  of  which  no  doubt  more  will  some- 
time be  heard.  As  a  conductor  he  is  master  of  orchestral  technique,  and 
with  a  hand  gentle  but  firm  secures  a  high  degree  of  refinement  and 
spirit  in  the  interpretation.  In  regard  to  his  quick  ear,  there  is  also  an 
anecdote.  Upon  one  occasion  soon  after  he  had  joined  the  Thomas 
orchestra,  there  was  a  very  long  rehearsal,  and  many  things  went  wrong. 
Finally,  nearly  two  o'clock,  there  was  one  place  where  a  false  note  was 
heard  at  each  repetition,  but  for  a  moment  Mr.  Thomas  was  not  able  to 
designate  the  man  making  it.  Rosenbecker  had  a  quick  ear  and  possibly 
may  have  sat  nearer  the  offender  than  the  leader.  After  waiting  some 
time,  he  arose  in  his  place  and  said  "  Herr  Conductor,  it  is  the  second 
bassoon  that  plays  F  instead  of  F  sharp."  Thomas  was  taken  all  aback, 
and  glared  upon  the  well  informed  young  man.  He  answered  briefly  that 
he  did  not  care  to  "  have  any  little  whippersnappers  giving  him  inform- 
tion,"  but  the  false  note  disappeared,  and  all  went  home  to  dinner  in  bet- 
ter humor.  Ro.senbecker  said  that  he  never  offered  Thomas  information 
again,  unless  asked. 

In  person  Mr.  Rosenbecker  is  of  middle  height,  rather  "stocky,"  as 
it  is  called,  with  an  intelligent  countenance. 

Otto  Singer. 

This  scholarly  musician  is  a  native  of  Saxony,  having  been  born  on 
July  26,  1833,  in  Sora,  near  Meissen.  He  was  educated  at  the  Kreutz- 
schule  in  Dresden,  from  which  he  passed  to  the  Leipzig  Conser\-ator}^ 
remaining  there  for  three  years,  until  1855,  and  studying  under  Richter, 
Mo.scheles  and  Hauptmann.  After  leaving  the  conservatory  he  remained 
in  Leipzig  four  years  more,  studying  and  teaching,  and  during  this  period 
several  of  his  compositions,  a  trio  for  piano,  violin  and  'cello,  a  sonata  for 
piano,  and  an  orchestral  symphony,  were  performed  at  the  Gewandhaus 
concerts.  Later,  he  was  for  years  in  close  connection  with  the  Wagner- 
Liszt  school  at  Weimar,  where  a  symphony  composed  by  Singer,  and 

444 


Otto  Singer. 


445 


much  praised  by  Liszt,  was  played  at  the  festival  of  the  German  National 
Association  of  Musicians.  He  went  from  Weimar  to  Dresden,  where  he 
stayed  until  1867,  and  then  came  to  New  York.  This  step  was  taken 
upon  the  recommendation  of  Liszt.  Mr.  Singer  was  promptly  engaged 
as  piano  teacher  in  the  newly  established  conservatory  of  William  Mason 
and  Theodore  Thomas  in  New  York,  where  he  remained  until  1873.  At 
one  of  Thomas'  symphony  concerts  in  1869  he  played  one  of  his  own 
pianoforte  concertos  with  great  success. 

The  school  having  proved  a  failure,  Thomas  sent  Mr.  Singer  to 
Cincinnati  as  assistant  musical  director  of  the  first  May  festival  of  1873. 
Not  a  little  of  the  success  of  that  festival  was  due  to  his  ability  and  untiring 
energy,  and  as  a  chorus  master  he  covered  himself  with  glory.  He  found 
abundant  field  in  Cincinnati  for  his  talent  as  teacher  and  conductor,  settled 
there,  and  is  at  present  a  teacher  in  the  College  of  Music  of  that  citJ^  In 
1875  and  1878  he  had  the  training  of  the  chorus  at  the  May  festivals,  but  in 
1880  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  Brand.  He  was  one  of  the  committee  of  three 
appointed  in  1880  to  pass  judgment  upon  the  compositions  offered  in 
competition  for  the  prize  of  $1,000  offered  by  the  festival  association. 
During  this  time  he  not  only  conducted  the  festival  chorus,  the  training 
of  which  for  each  festival  extended  over  nearly  twelve  months,  but  he 
was  also  occupied  in  training  and  conducting  the  large  Harmonic  Society 
and  some  German  societies.  For  the  festival  of  1876  he  wrote  the  cantata, 
The  Landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  the  performance  of  which  was 
enthusiastically  received,  and  for  1878  he  composed  the  Festival  Ode,  a 
cantata,  for  the  opening  of  the  great  music  hall  at  Cincinnati.  This  also 
was  verj'  favorably  criticized.  Mr.  Singer  has  directed  several  of  the  festi- 
vals of  the  North  American  Saengerbund.  Since  1880  he  has  divided  his 
time  between  teaching  in  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Music,  and  composing 
works  for  orchestra,  chorus,  piano,  etc.  He  has  also  written  for  maga- 
zines a  good  deal  about  aesthetical  and  historical  subjects  in  relation  to 
music.  As  a  teacher  of  the  piano  and  theor}',  and  as  a  lecturer  on  music, 
Mr.  Singer  has  done  some  excellent  work,  and  has  aided  materially  in 
building  up  the  reputation  of  the  college  with  which  he  is  connected. 
In  his  compositions  he  follows  in  the  footsteps  of  his  old  master,  Liszt. 
Few  of  his  works  have  been  published.  Among  those  that  have  seen 
the  light  are  andante  and  variations  for  two  pianos  (Op.  i);  fantasie  in 
E  minor  (Op.  2);  duo  for  piano  and  violin  in  C  minor  (Op.  3);  rhapsody 
for  piano  and  orchestra;  Shiller's  Tower  0/  Song,  for  chorus  and  orches- 
tra; several  symphonies  and  piano  pieces,  besides  the  two  cantatas  and 
other  compositions  mentioned  above.  Mr.  Singer  has  won  a  commanding 
place  among  American  musicians. 

446 


The  Metropolitan  Opera  House,  New  York. 
This  magnificent  temple  of  the  Ij-ric  drama  was  erected  by  a  wealthy 
New  York  syndicate,  in  1884.  It  is  built  of  fire  proof  material,  and 
occupies  a  ground  space  of  200x260  feet.  The  seating  capacity  is  stated 
at  3,500,  which  is  probably  an  exaggeration,  although  the  house  is  con- 
siderably more  capacious  than  the  new  grand  opera  at  Paris.  The  house 
is  iiandsomel)-  decorated,  and  the  stage  is  large  and  well  appointed.  The 
first  season  opened  Oct.  22,  1883,  the  famous  Abbey  Company  giving 
Gounod's  "  Faust,"  with  a  cast  embracing  Nilsson,  Campanini,  Schalchi, 
Del  Puente,  Novara,  etc.  The  audience  in  attendance  filled  every  part  of 
the  house,  and  represented  more  wealth  probably  than  any  other  collected 
in  New  York  within  the  present  generation.  The  orchestra  numbered 
eight}^  under  the  direction  of  Signor  Varesi.  After  the  Abbey  company 
came  to  grief,  in  1885,  the  late  Dr.  Damrosch  collected  a  Germany  com- 
pany, and  opened  a  season  of  "Grand  Opera  in  German,"  beginning 
Nov.  17,  1884,  with  Wagner's  Tayinhanscr.  Later  "  Die  Walkuere  "  was 
produced  in  good  shape.  The  second  season  of  German  opera,  opening 
Nov.  23,  1885,  witnessed  various  novelties,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Anton  Seidl,  who  still  remains  the  accomplished  musical  chief  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  this  house.  Among  them  were  Wagner's  Meistersingcr,  etc. 
The  third  season  of  German  opera  opened  Nov.  8,  1886,  the  principal 
novelty  of  the  year  being  Wagner's  Siegfried,  the  hero  having  an  almost 
ideal  presentation  at  the  hands  of  that  accomplished  tenor,  Mr.  Max 
Alvary.  In  the  season  of  1887,  the  Gottcrddmmcrung  was  added,  and  in 
1888  the  prelude.  Das  Rhci7igold.  These  works  were  splendidly  mounted, 
and  the  company',  especially  of  the  season  1887-88,  was  admirably  com- 
plete. The  orchestra  under  Mr.  Seidl' s  baton  attained  a  degree  of  finish 
and  sympathetic  .support  of  the  voices  rarely  heard  anywhere,  especially  in 
works  so  exacting  instrumentally  as  tiiese  of  Wagner.  Wagner's 
enormously  difficult  Tris/a?i  a tid  /so/de  was  produced  with  MissLehmann 
and  Niemann  in  the  title  roles.  The  entire  business  management 
of  the  Metropolitan  opera  house,  since  the  first  season,  has  been 
under  the  charge  of  Mr.  Edwin  C.  Stanton,  who  has  shown  himself  an 
unusually  bold  and  successful  manager.  He  has  been  supported  by  a  body 
of  wealthy  stockholders,  by  whom  the  large  deficits  have  been  cheerfully 
borne,  in  consideration  of  his  undoubted  succe.ss  in  collecting  strong  com- 
panies, and  presenting  varied  programmes.  In  addition  to  its  use  for 
operatic  purposes,  the  Metropolitan  is  now  the  main  hall  for  symphony 
concerts,  large  balls  and  the  like. 


44S 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

IXSTITUTIOXS    FOR    THE    HiGHER    MUSICAL    EdL'CATION. 

|g  N  no  department  of  musical  effort  has  progress  been  more  grati- 
fj'ing  than  in  that  of  S3-stematic,  intelUgently  co-ordinated 
musical  education.  The  present  state  of  things  in  this  respect 
is  far  from  ideal,  but  it  is  immeasurably  superior  to  that  of  a  cen- 
tury ago.  The  steps  of  the  progress  are  easily  to  be  traced.  A  century 
ago  there  was  no  musical  education  in  this  country,  saving  such  as  a 
student  could  acquire  by  putting  himself  under  the  instruction  of  some 
European  emigrant,  who  might  or  might  not  be  able  to  communicate  to 
him  the  ingredients  of  a  sound  musical  education  according  to  the  stand- 
ards of  the  day.  In  the  selection  of  a  teacher  the  student  was  entireh- 
at  sea,  for  then,  as  now,  it  too  often  happened  that  those  standing  fairest 
in  the  estimation  of  the  conimunitj'  were  the  ones  least  disposed  to  sacri- 
fice time  or  trouble  for  art's  sake  alone.  Not  ail  German  musicians  were 
artists.  In  fact,  it  was  not  until  the  latter  half  of  the  present  century 
that  real  artists  began  to  come  to  America  with  the  intention  of  making 
a  home  here.  Many  of  the  teachers  in  leading  institutions  a  hundred 
years  ago  were  mere  amateurs.  It  would  be  nearer  the  truth  to  saj'  that 
a.  hundred  years  ago  there  were  no  teachers  of  music  in  anj'  educational 
institutions,  outside  one  or  two  of  the  larger  cities.  Music  had  scarceh- 
begun  to  be  recognized  as  a  part  of  polite  education.  Those  who  cared 
for  the  art  pursued  it  outside  their  regular  curriculum,  and  made  their 
attainments  in  it,  in  a  majority  of  cases,  at  the  expense  of  time  needed 
for  their  other  studies.  In  the  early  part  of  the  present  century  some 
attention  began  to  be  paid  to  the  study  of  music  as  an  art  of  performance. 
But  most  of  the  teachers  in  seminaries  were  merely  amateurs  from  Europe, 
who  had  the  good  fortune  to  find  their  side  accomplishments  more  avail- 
able as  means  of  livelihood  than  their  regular  profession.  This  was 
especially  the  case  in  the  south,  where  musical  taste  was  vigorous  and 
musical  intelligence  uncultivated.  In  one  of  the  oldest  female  colleges 
of  the  world  the  professor  for  many  years  was  a  German  who  had  been 

449 


educated  as  a  painter,  but  upon  losing  his  eyesight  he  had  turned  him- 
self to  music,  for  which  he  had  always  had  a  penchant  but  in  which  he 
had  never  had  a  systematic  education.  No  doubt  such  a  teacher,  having 
a  love  for  his  art,  might  be  able  to  transfuse  into  his  pupils  something  of 
his  own  enthusiasm  for  the  art,  but  upon  the  technical  side  his  instruction 
must  have  left  much  to  be  desired. 

The  Boston  Academy  of  Music  was  a  step  in  the  right  direction,  but 
it  was  not  by  anj'  means  such  an  institution  as  we  would  understand  by 
its  name  at  the  present  time.  The  students  of  it  were  mostly  amateurs 
who  attended  but  a  few  months,  and  there  was  not  then  nor  until  very 
recentl)'  a  standard  of  attainment  according  to  which  one  could  graduate 
in  music.  As  the  taste  for  music  became  disseminated  and  the  desire  of 
accomplishment  in  the  art  of  playing  became  more  general,  European 
teachers  found  it  more  and  more  profitable  to  exercise  their  profession 
in  America.  Accordingly  there  were  good  teachers,  real  musicians,  here 
and  there  in  all  the  large  cities,  but  the  standard  of  plaj'ing  was  still  low, 
as  seen  in  the  popular  pieces  then  in  vogue  ;  and  there  was  nothing  like 
a  S>'stematic  effort  to  educate  pupils  in  theory.  However,  the  appetite 
for  knowledge  had  been  awakened  and  now  and  then  teachers  of  the  bet- 
ter class  were  surprised  by  the  desire  of  pupils  to  acquaint  themselves  with 
those  recondite  branches,  counterpoint  and  fugue.  This  was  more  fre- 
quently the  case  with  those  who  intended  to  pursue  the  career  of  organist, 
for  it  has  always  been  understood  that  organists  ought  to  be  acquainted 
with  these  branches.  The  next  step  in  advance  was  the  elevation  of  the 
standard  of  attainment  upon  the  popular  instruments  of  music,  of  which 
the  pianoforte  has  been  the  chief  representative  during  the  entire  time 
covered  by  the  present  sketch.  Very  little  sufficed  to  make  a  good  player 
in  those  da3^s.  The  popular  pieces,  as  recounted  in  the  introduction  to  the 
chapter  on  pianists  in  this  work,  were  extremely  simple,  such  as  at  the 
present  time  would  hardly  suffice  to  occupy  the  powers  of  a  second  or 
third-grade  pupil,  or,  if  these,  certainly  not  tho.se  of  a  fourth-grade  pupil. 
Nor  need  we  wonder  at  this  state  of  things.  We  are  speaking  of  a  new 
country,  which  had  only  lately  closed  a  long  and  arduous  struggle  for  its 
existence.  It  was  a  new  country-,  cut  off  from  European  stinuilation. 
Even  in  Europe  the  standard  was  distinctly  low,  except  in  a  few  of  the 
larger  cities,  and  only  in  the  higher  musical  circles  of  those.  When  the 
pieces  of  Francois  Hunten  were  the  main  subjects  of  exercise  for  parlor 
purposes,  as  tliey  were  in  the  earlier  part  of  this  centurj-,  there  could  not 
have  been  much  musical  cultivation,  as  we  now  understand  the  term. 
The  last  works  of  Beethoven  were  not  written  until  1826.  The  romantic 
composers  were  yet  to  come.     Eiszt  and  Thalberg  began  their  careers 

450 


about  1830.  We  must  not  wonder  at  finding  the  condition  of  things  in 
America  somewhat  crude.  It  was  crude  or  shallow  all  over  the  world, 
excepting,  perhaps,  in  that  capital  of  the  musical  world,  Vienna. 

The  standard  of  taste  throughout  the  country  at  large  did  not  begin 
to  elevate  itself  to  a  noticeable  degree  until  after  the  arrival  of  those 
great  pianists,  mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter.  Nor  was  their  influence 
immediately  operative.  It  needed  the  stimulation  of  many  ambitious 
young  American  musicians  fresh  from  musical  training  abroad  before  a 
sufficient  demand  was  created  for  similar  educational  facilities  at  home. 
This,  however,  was  a  question  of  a  short  time  only.  In  fact,  we  may 
say  that  while  there  began  to  be  good  teachers  of  the  piano  and  almost 
every  instrument  in  the  large  cities,  as  early  as  the  first  quarter  of  the 
present  century,  it  was  not  until  past  the  middle  of  it  that  the  leading 
cities  had  representatives  of  the  more  advanced  stages  of  musical  art  in 
its  different  provinces. 

The  leading  teacher  of  pianoforte  in  Boston  during  the  period 
between  1840  and  i860  was  the  late  Geo.  James  Webb.  Mr.  Webb  was 
also  the  leading  teacher  of  singing  and  the  best  organist  of  the  city. 
This  composite  relation  sufficiently  indicates  the  undifferentiated  stage  of 
the  art.  It  was  not  until  our  American  students  had  begun  to  come 
back  from  studies  abroad  that  we  commenced  to  have  thoroughly  equipped 
educators  in  the  specialties  of  music.  Then  began  an  epoch  of  accom- 
plishment in  performance,  unregulated  by  theoretical  standards  and 
training.  Players,  singers,  and  organists  there  began  to  be,  but  no 
?ui(S!cia)is  properly  so  called.  Perhaps  the  appointment  of  John  K.  Paine 
professor  of  music  at  Harvard  was  one  of  the  first  points  made  in  the 
erection  of  a  new  standard  of  education.  It  gave  a  stimulus  to  theoreti- 
cal studies.  Musical  history,  harmon}',  counterpoint,  orchestratioii  and 
form  now  began  to  be  taught  by  those  who  had  mastered  them  under  the 
best  foreign  teachers,  and  who  in  turn  did  not  propose  to  keep  merely 
preparatory  schools  for  their  former  masters. 

Here  we  come  upon  a  most  instructive  point  marking  a  standpoint 
gained  in  the  hi.story  of  musical  education  in  America.  In  many  of  the 
circulars  of  conservatories  received  as  information  for  the  present  work, 
it  is  stated  as  proof  of  the  standing  and  capacit}*  of  the  school,  that 
several  of  their  pupils  had  gone  abroad  to  study,  after  finishing  the 
course  here,  and  their  preparation  had  been  found  excellent  by  their 
foreign  masters.  No  information  could  be  more  conclusive  as  to  the  half- 
hearted stand  of  the  school  or  teacher  announcing  it.  The  American  way 
is  to  propose  a  complete  and  well  balanced  nuisical  education,  entirely 
independent  of  study  abroad.     Not,  indeed,  objecting  to  foreign  finishing, 

451 


but  merely  acquiescing  in  it,  as  a  testimony  to  the*  efficiency  of  the 
school  and  its  conformity  to  the  best  European  standards.  Yet,  until 
very  recently,  information  of  this  kind  was  uniformly  contained  in  school 
and  conservator)'  catalogues. 

An  attentive  examination  of  the  ensuing  statements  of  the  different 
colleges,  conservatories  and  schools  will  show  the  following  points  to 
characterize  the  present  state  of  musical  education,  as  exhibited  in  these 
institutions:  First.  All  the  branches  of  musical  practice  and  theory  are 
taught,  and  generally  by  masters  well  versed  in  them  practicall)'.  Second. 
The  pressure  in  favor  of  everj'  student  acquainting  himself  with  at  least 
two  practical  branches  beside  study  in  theory,  is  very  general.  Third. 
There  is  constant  advance  in  the  .standard  of  graduation.  Fourth.  In  a 
few  cases  there  is  a  clearly  expressed  resolve  to  be  sure  that  every  grad- 
uate is  full}^  up  to  the  requirements  and  implications  of  the  prescribed 
course.     The  latter  point  is  the  newest  of  all. 

Ten  years  ago  there  was  not  a  college  of  music  or  a  conservatory  of 
music  in  the  countrj'  with  a  well  defined  standard  of  graduation.  There 
were  certain  indefinite  requirements  upon  different  instn:ments,  and 
vague  outgivings  as  to  the  need  of  theorj^  especiall)-  harmony  and 
musical  histor>'.  But  it  was  not  until  the  American  College  of  Musicians 
formulated  its  standar-rls  of  admission  that  there  was  any  college  or  con- 
ser\"atory  having  a  real  standard  of  graduation  such  as  one  could  reason 
upon  in  cold  blood.  Everything  was  vague,  indeterminate,  and  the 
attainments  specified  were  purelj^  technical,  so  that  there  was  no  assur- 
ance that  the  persons  meeting  there  would  possess  musical  qualities 
qualifying  them  as  missionaries  and  ministers  of  art.  At  the  present  time 
this  is  all  changed.  While  there  is  still  more  or  less  superficial  instruc- 
tion given  in  different  parts  of  the  country  (bj-  no  means  forgetting  the 
principal  cities,  where  there  are  more  people  desiring,  as  Colonel  Sellers 
calls  it,  "the  appearance  of  warmth"  rather  than  the  real  thiitg),  the 
general  desire  is  to  have  in  musical  instruction  full,  complete,  mau}'- 
sided,  thorough  and  artistic  in  qualitj'.  Graduation  without  corre- 
sponding attainments  is  no  longer  desired  outside  that  fraction  of  the 
human  race  which  Carlj-le  characterized  as  '  'mostl}^  fools. ' '  The  schools 
noted  in  the  following  pages  differ  greatly  in  quality,  for  even  one  star 
differs  from  another  star  in  glory.  But  all  alike  hold  up  a  certain  ideal. 
One  and  all,  they  desire  specialty  work  in  some  one  or  two  instruments 
or  branches,  and  well  grounded  attainments  in  all  the  others,  especialh- 
in  musical  history  and  theory.  And  all  the  signs  point  to  the  gradual 
improvement  and  elevation  of  these  standards  rather  than  to  their  being 
allowed  to  fall  into  desuetude. 


452 


NEW  ENGLAND  CONSERVATORY  OF   MUSIC. 
^^^j  E  introduce  our  sketches  of  Aniericau  musical  educational  insti- 


,^11 


km 


tutions  naturalh-  with  the  above  conservator}-,  for  many  reasons 


%^,>^  — by  virtue  of  its  place  as  the  pioneer  in  that  work  of  musical 
3f^S>  development  in  which  it  has  been  so  powerful  a  factor  ;  because 
i^''  it  is,  in  an  especial  sense,  the  representative  and  embodiment  of 
f  '  those  results  which,  in  the  natural  evolution  of  musical  progress, 
^  have  sprung  from  the  labors  of  Lowell  Mason  and  his  coadjutors  ; 
from  the  fact  that  it  is  in  the  best  sense  American,  both  in  its 
origin,  its  purposes  and  its  achievements;  and  from  the  fact  that  it 
has  equipped  so  many  artists  of  high  rank,  who  are  to-day  the  best 
representatives  of  American  musical  culture.  The  New  England  Con- 
servatorj'  is  not  alone  in  this  work  of  creating  musical  taste,  and  of 
expanding,  from  year  to  year,  the  sphere  of  musical  refinement  and  useful- 
ness. There  are  other  important  and  valued  musical  institutions  engaged 
in  the  same  field  of  labor,  with  the  same  zeal,  activity  and  earnestness, 
without  a  record  of  whose  work  no  historj-  of  American  musical  progress 
would  be  complete;  but  none  will  dispute  the  place  of  honor  with  this  as 
the  pioneer  in  a  great  work  which  distinctly  marks  an  era  in  our  career  of 
musical  progress.  That  we  have  in  flourishing  activity  to-day  so  many 
of  these  institutions,  conducted  on  a  scale  of  such  importance  and  embrac- 
ing in  their  operations  all  the  ber.t  elements  of  higher  mi:sical  education 
that  can  even  be  found  in  the  oldest  seats  of  musical  learning  in  the  old 
world,  is  but  an  .evidence  of  the  rapid  strides  which  our  sixt\-  millions  of 
people  are  making  in  the  cultivation  of  art  and  refinement,  of  a  constantly 
broadening  current  of  nuisical  taste,  requiring  the  highest  aids  to  an 
advanced  culture.  Each  of  these  institutions  has  its  sphere  of  nuisical 
and  educational  usefulness,  whose  growing  needs  will  constantlj^  tax  their 
efforts  and  their  enterprise,  so  that  none  has  either  the  time  or  the  occasion 
to  divert  from  its  legitimate  activities  to  the  narrow  purpose  of  depreciat- 
ing or  envying  the  achievements  of  others.  Indeed,  it  is  the  truth  that 
each  of  the.se  directly  supplements  the  labor  and  adds  to  the  resources  of 
all  others  in  the  same  field,  for  every  current  that  flows  into  the  broad  tide 
of  general  musical  cultivation  contributes  to  these  progressive  influences 


upon  which  the  ever  expanding  desire  for  higher  musical  education  is 
founded,  and  multiphes  constantly  the  aggregate  numbers  of  those  who 
are  impelled  to  seek  for  the  highest  advantages  of  musical  education,  in 
the  most  individualh'  convenient  and  desirable  quarter.  The  New 
England  Conser\-atory,  however,  possesses  many  features  entirely  unique, 
and  is  in  many  of  its  methods  dissimilar  from  any  of  the  other  important 
schools  of  music  pursuing  the  conservatory  plan.  One  of  the  most  striking 
of  these  peculiar  features  of  interest  is  the  fact  that  with  all  its  immense 
educational  machinery  and  corresponding  means  for  making  money,  "it 
j-ields  no  profit,  dividend  or  emolument  of  any  kind  in  any  way  to  any 
person  or  a.s.sociation  of  persons,"  and  this,  notwithstanding  that  its 
average  attendance  for  the  past  six  j'ears  has  been  2,065  students.  The 
absence  of  the  motive  of  profit  is,  however,  nobly  compensated  by  a 
higher  object  of  incomparably  greater  force  as  a  stimulating  influence  to 
the  best  results.  We  cannot  l^etter  illustrate  the  springs  upon  which  the 
activitj'  of  this  institution  turns  than  to  state  briefl}-  the  central  idea  upon 
which  the  life  work  of  its  founder  has  been  based.  This  is,  that  perfect 
education  requires  the  symmetrical  development  of  all  the  faculties  ;  that 
education  that  begins  and  ends  with  the  intellect  is  faulty  and  imperfect ; 
that  the  heart  is  the  "  center  of  being  and  the  point  of  departure  for  per- 
fection," and  hence  the  true  center  of  a  perfect  culture  that  will  afford 
equipoise  and  stability  in  ever}'  direction  ;  that  music,  which  is  the 
universal  language,  appealing  to  the  heart  as  the  center  of  emotional 
existence,  is  and  ought  to  be  recognized  as  the  fundamental  requisite  of 
true  and  harmonious  education.  In  a  report  dated  May  i,  1883,  Dr. 
Tourjee  thus  describes  the  circumstances  and  the  ambition  in  which  the 
New  England  ConserA-ator>'  had  its  origin  : 

For  thirty  years  it  has  been  the  aim  and  effort  of  my  life  to  found  and  equip 
an  institution  which  should  bring  within  the  reach  of  the  many  the  priceless  benefits 
of  a  first-class  musical  education,  that  these  in  turn  might  become  missionaries  for 
its  universal  diffusion.  The  struggle  through  which  I  had  to  pass,  and  the  difficulties 
which  I  had  to  overcome  in  obtaining  even  the  fragmentarj'  education  in  music 
which  this  country  could  then  afford,  led  me  to  this  determination  ;  and,  keeping  this 
object  before  me,  I  have,  by  every  means  in  my  power,  labored  both  in  season  and 
out  of  season  for  the  acconiplishmLMit  of  that  j)urpose.  Under  God,  my  success  has 
been  beyond  my  expectation.  When  I  began  the  study  of  music,  there  were  no 
music  schools  and  few  teachers  of  eminence,  and  these  latter  commanded  such  prices 
for  their  services  as  put  them  beyond  the  reach  of  the  poor.  The  conservatory 
system  of  Europe  was  without  illustration  in  this  country;  and  its  later  discovery 
was  to  me  a  revelation,  the  possibilities  of  which  I  undertook  to  realize  to  my 
countrymen. 

The  first  efifort  made  to  establish  the  class  system  for  musical  educa- 
tion was  made  at  Fall  River,  Mass.,  in   1853.     In  1859  he  obtained  a 
charter   for  and  organized  a  mu.sical  institute   in  connecflion  with  the  . 
academy  at  East  Greei.wich,  R.  I.     Afterward  he  sought  a  larger  field 


at  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  in  1867  went  to  Boston,  where  the  New 
England  Conserv'atory  was  incorporated  in  1870,  and  obtained  quarters  in 
the  Central  Music  Hall  building,  which  were  occupied  till  1882,  when 
the  magnificent  building  which  we  here  illustrate  was  secured.  Gradu- 
ally, in  working  out  his  plan  of  establishing  and  equipping  an 
institution  which  should  realize  his  ambition  of  "  a  generous  and  liberal 
culture,  with  music  as  the  fundamental  element,"  the  institution  has 
been  made  to  embrace  in  one  sj'stem  of  co-operative  effort,  schools  of 
music,  art,  elocution,  literature,  languages,  tuning  and  physical  culture, 
with  the  accessories  of  an  extensive  musical  librarj^  and  cabinet,  and  a 
Christian  home  for  young  women,  and  the  higher  appendage,  in 
connection  with  Boston  University,  of  a  College  of  Music.  In  1S82  the 
corporation  of  the  consen'atory  was  authorized  to  bold  real  and  personal 
estate  to  the  amount  of  $500,000,  the  original  charter  providing  for  only 
$100,000.  In  1883  the  stockholders  surrendered  the  stock  of  the  institu- 
tion, and  the  corporation  was  reorganized  on  the  same  footing  as  Har\-ard. 
under  a  deed  of  trust,  which  expressly  provides  that  there  shall  be  no 
profits  or  dividends  to  accrue  to  any  individual  out  of  the  earnings  of  the 
institution,  everj-thing  thus  going  into  cheapening  the  cost  of  musical 
education  and  increasing  the  resources  of  the  consen'ator}^  The  annual 
report  of  the  dire(5tor  for  1886  shows  an  important  accession  to  the 
teaching  sti'ength  —  the  acquisition  of  such  artists  as  Faelten,  Rotoli, 
Tinney,  Petersilea  and  Alden;  the  addition  of  the  elegant  Sleeper  Hall, 
through  the  munificence  of  the  late  Hon.  Jacob  Sleeper,  etc.  Previouslj-, 
in  1884,  the  great  organ  of  the  Boston  Music  Hall,  purchased  for  the 
institution  by  W.  O.  Grover,  one  of  the  trustees,  had  been  stored  on  the 
premises  of  the  institution,  where  it  still  awaits  the  construction  of  a 
suitable  special  building,  but  we  trust  will  not  have  to  thus  remain.  The 
direcflor  is,  however,  indefatigable  in  his  labor  for  still  further  additions 
to  the  forces  which  combine  to  embody  in  this  school  the  ideal  which  he 
has  kept  in  view.  So  far  as  school  equipment  goes,  it  is  probably  as 
nearly  perfect  as  it  is  possible  to  attain,  but  it  is  Dr.  Tourjee's  earnest 
desire  to  secure  for  the  conser\-atory  such  state  aid  as  will  practically 
throw  its  great  advantages  open  to  all  who  have  ambition  and  talent  to 
benefit  by  musical  and  general  culture.  Of  the  importance  of  the  school 
as  a  radiating  centre  for  the  diffusion  of  musical  light,  we  maj-  men- 
tion the  fact  that  graduates  of  the  conservatory,  among  other  institutions, 
are  employed  at  De  Pauw  University,  Indiana,  Universitj^  of  Kansas, 
the  North  Western  Conservatory  of  Music,  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, Denver  University,  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University,  Hamilton 
College,  Ky.,  Allegheny  College,  Pa.,  New  York  Institute  for  the  Blind, 

4.')6 


Ontario  Institute  for  the  Blind,  Ripon  College,  Wis.,  Cornell  College,  la., 
Science  Hill  College,  Ky.,  Beaver  College,  Pa.,  Baker  Universitj-,  Kan., 
Napa  College,  Cal.,  Jacksonville  (111.)  Female  Seminary,  Lansdowne 
College,  Ont.,  Washburn  College,  Wis.,  Vermont  Ladies'  Seminary, 
Montpelier,  Pennsylvania  State  Normal  School,  Dartmouth  College, 
Wilbraham  Academj',  East  Greenwich  Academy,  Searcy  College,  Ark., 
Oxford  (Ohio)  Female  Seminar}-.  In  addition  to  this  eloquent  statement 
it  may  be  stated  that  the  directors  of  music  and  organists  at  many 
important  cathedrals  and  churches  owe  their  musical  education  to  this 
conservatory,  of  which  Nordica  (Lilian  Norton),  at  present  reigning  star 
as  a  vocalist  in  Europe,  is  a  graduate;  and  to  this  showing  add  the  fact 
that  there  are  now  upwards  of  40,000  ladies  and  gentlemen  who  have 
been  musically  equipped  in  this  school,  and  are  to-day  transmitting  its 
influence  throughout  every  quarter  of  the  land,  and  we  have  some  idea 
of  the  important  relation  in  which  the  New  England  Conservatory  of 
Music  stands  to  the  influences  which  make  for  higher  musical  progress 
in  America. 

The  branches  of  instruction  ni  tne  conservatory  embrace,  in  addition 
to  the  post-graduate  course,  eleven  individual  schools,  as  follows: 

A  school  for  the  piano. 

For  the  organ. 

For  the  formation  and  cultivation  of  the  voice,  lyric  art  and  opera. 

For  the  violin,  orchestra,  quartette  and  ensemble  playing.  Orchestral  and 
band  instruments  and  art  of  conducting. 

For  harmony,  composition,  theory  and  orchestration. 

For  sight  singing  and  vocal  music  iu  public  schools. 

For  tuning  pianos  and  organs. 

A  school  of  general  literature  and  languages. 

A  college  of  oratory  and  forensic  art. 

A  school  of  fine  arts. 

A  school  of  physical  culture. 

The  college  of  music. 

The  following  is  the  faculty: 

Piano-forte  —  Board 0/ Ivstrudioii. — John  Alden,  Otto  Bendix,  John  D.  Buck- 
ingham, Charles  F.  Dennee,  Carl  Faelten,  James  W.  Hill,  Frederic  H.  Lewis,  Fred- 
erick F.  Lincoln,  Louis  Maas,  Sarah  Eliot  Newman,  James  C.  D.  Parker,  Carlyle 
Petersilea,  Frank  Addison  Porter,  Madame  Dietrich-Strong,  Allen  W.  Swan,  Mrs.  J. 
B.  Willis. 

Organ.  —  Henry  M.  Dunham,  George  E.  Whiting,  Allen  W.  Swan. 

[It  is  worth}'  of  mention  that  in  order  to  furnish  every  facility  for 
acquiring  a  master^'  of  all  kinds  of  organ  music,  a  large,  three-maimal 
pipe    organ,    with    two    and    a    half  octaves  of   pedals,    and    an  ample 


variety  of  registers  in  each  manual,  is  placed  in  the  hall  of  the  conserva- 
tory for  the  use  of  its  classes.  Three  additional  —  one  three-manual  and 
two  two-manual  —  pipe  organs  have  been  set  up  in  the  conser\-atory,  mak- 
ing fourteen  in  all  in  constant  use  in  the  institution,  with  the  great  organ 
formerly  in  Boston  Music  Hall  in  reserve  for  the  future  use  of  the  institu- 
tion. The  London  Choir  speaks  as  follows  of  the  organ  department  of  the 
institution  :  "In  the  New  England  Conser^^atory  of  Music,  recitals  are 
so  arranged  as  to  provide  illustrations  of  all  classes  of  music  for  that  instru- 
ment. In  this  respect  the  American  music  school  is  far  in  advance  of  our 
own  academy,  and,  indeed,  of  every  English  educational  institution."] 

Voice  Cultivation,  Lyric  Art  ana  Opera. — William  H.  Dunham,  Abdou  W. 
Keene,  Frank  E.  Morse,  John  O'Niell,  Mrs.  John  O'Niell,  Sig.  Augusto  Rotoli, 
Charles  E.  Tiuney,  Lyman  W.  Wheeler,  William  L.  Whitney. 

Violin  Schools. — Joseph  B.  Claus,  flute,  clarinet,  cornet,  etc.;  Benj.  Cutter, 
violin  and  viola  ;  Wulf  Fries,  violoncello ;  A.  Goldstein,  contra  basso  ;  Herman  Hart- 
mann,  violin  ;  Emil  Mahr,  violin  and  ensemble  playing  ;  Dr.  R.  Shubruk,  cornet. 

Harmony,  Composition,  Orchestra  and  Theory. — George  W.  Chadwick,  Ben- 
jamin Cutter,  Louis  C.  Elson,  Stephen  A.  Emery,  Frank  W.  Hale,  Sarah  Eliot  New- 
man, James  C.  D.  Parker,  George  E.  Whiting.  ' 

Sight  Singing  and  Vocal  I\[usic  in  Public  Schools.  —  Samuel  W.  Cole,  Abdou 
W.  Keene,  George  A.  Veazie. 

Piano  and  Organ  Tuning  Schools. — Frank  W.  Hale,  principal;  Edward  D. 
Hale,  instructor  ;  Edward  W.  Davis,  superintendent  of  factory  work ;  Geo.  H.  Ash, 
polishing. 

General  Literature  and  Lajiguages. — Rev.  C.  Cotton  Kimball,  D.D.,  principal 
and  instructor  in  Wordsworth,  English  literature  and  rhetoric  ;  John  B.  Willis,  A.M., 
associate  principal;  Dr.  William  J.  Rolfe,  lecturer  and  instructor  in  Shakespeare; 
Rev.  Charles  A.  Dickinson,  lecturer  on  mental  and  moral  science  ;  Hamlin  Garland, 
lecturer  and  instructor  in  American  literature,  etc.;  Miss  Elizabeth  I.  Samuels,  in- 
structor in  Latin,  mathematics  and  sciences;  Jean  De  Peifi"er,  head  of  department  of 
languages,  and  instructor  in  French  language  and  literature;  Albert  Rosenstein, 
A.M.,  instructor  in  German  language  and  literature;  M.  E.  Imovilli,  instructor  in 
Italian  language  and  literature  ;  W.  M.  Swallow,  instructor  in  penmanship. 

Elocution,  Oratory  and  Forensic  Art. — -Samuel  R.  Kelley,  A.M.,  principal,  and 
instructor  in  expression  and  forensic  orator}-;  Miss  .A.nnie  B.  Lincoln,  instructor  in 
elocution  and  voice  building  ;  Miss  Bessie  M.  Houghton,  instructor  in  pose  and  gestic- 
ulation. 

Fine  Art.  — Tommaso  Juglaris,  principal,  and  teacher  of  drawing  and  painting, 
historical  decoration  and  composition,  and  artistic  anatomy;  Miss  Harriet  Thayer 
Durgin,  water-color  painting;  W.  A.  Claus,  drawing  from  flat,  the  antique,  still  life, 
flowers,  and  landscape  painting,  and  charcoal  drawing ,  Miss  Edith  Pope,  china 
painting. 

Physical  Culture.  — Miss  Annie  O'Connor. 

A  most  important  feature  of  the  institution  is  the  "  Con.ser\'atory 
Home,"  which  offers  in  connection  with  the  advantages  of  the  various 
schools  of  culture,   the  higher  benefits  of  a  great  Christian  household, 


attended  b}-  all  the  comforts  and  refinements  of  elegant  life,  and  free  from 
the  perils  and  disadvantages  which  usuall}'  surround  the  footsteps  of 
young  ladies  who  are  compelled  to  leave  the  parental  home  for  educational 
improvement.  This  department  has  accommodatioii  for  500  young  ladies, 
with  few  formal  restrictive  regulations  ;  depends  largely  upon  liberal 
self-government,  and  yet  maintains  the  most  watchful  and  effective  care  of 
the  minds,  morals,  ph3'sical  health,  safetj^  and  sanitarj-  environments  of 
the  pupils. 

The  College  of  Music,  in  connection  with  the  Conser\-atory,  is  affili- 
ated with  Boston  University,  on  whose  authority  degrees  are  granted. 
The  facult}-  is  as  follows  : 

William  F.  Warren,  LL.D.,  president  Boston  University;  Ehen  Tcurjee,  Mus. 
Doc,  dean;  James  C.  D.  Parker,  professor  of  the  piano- forte  ;  Carl  Faeltcn.  professor  of 
the  piano-forte  ;  Carlj-le  Petersilea,  professor  of  the  piano-forte  ;  Otto  Bendix,  professor 
of  the  piano-forte;  Louis  Maas,  Mus.  Doc,  professor  of  the  piano-forte;  Henr\-  M. 
Dunham,  professor  of  the  organ  ;  George  E.  Whiting,  professor  of  the  organ  and  com- 
position ;  Eniil  Mahr,  professor  of  the  violin  ;  Wulf  Fries,  professor  of  the  violoncello  ; 
Sig.  Augusto  Rotoli,  professor  of  Italian  singing;  JohnO'Niell,  professor  of  English 
and  Italian  singing ;  Charles  E.  Tinney,  professor  of  English  singing,  oratorio  and 
church  music ;  Stephen  A,  Emery,  professor  of  counterpoint  and  composition  ; 
Louis  C.  Elson,  professor  of  theory,  history,  literature,  biography,  aesthetics  and 
criticism  ;  George  W.  Chadvvick,  professor  of  composition  and  orchestration  ;  Fac- 
ulty of  College  of  Liberal  Arts,  Boston  University. 

The  requirements  for  admission  are  identical  with  those  for  graduation 
from  the  conservatory.  Candidates  for  a  degree,  in  addition  to  the 
completion  of  the  required  work  in  the  college  of  music  course,  must 
be  qualified  to  pass  a  satisfactory  examination  in  two  of  the  following 
languages :  Latin,  German,  French  and  Italian,  and  also  in  logic. 
Gradtiates  of  the  college  of  music  who  satisfactorily  meet  these  reqtiire- 
ments  or  their  equivalent,  receive  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Music.  The 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Music  is  never  conferred  as  an  honorary  degree,  but  it 
may  be  attained  by  Bachelors  of  Music  who  shall  have  completed  the 
Boston  University  Cour.se  or  its  equivalent,  upon  passing  satisfactory- 
examination  in  fugue,  form  and  orchestration,  musical  literature, 
history  of  music,  the  piano-forte,  violin  or  organ.  Full  and  regular 
members  of  the  college  of  music  have  the  opportunity  of  purstiing, 
without  extra  cost,  in  Boston  University,  any  of  the  following  branches  : 
Languages — French,  German,  Italian,  Spani.sh,  Anglo-Saxon,  Latin  and 
Greek;  Mathematics  and  Natural  Sciences  —  Solid  geometry,  trigonom- 
etry, analytical  geometry,  physics,  chemistry,  biology,  etc.  ;  Hi.story, 
Literature  and  Law  —  English  literature,  rhetoric,  history,  Roman  law, 
constittition  of  the  United  States,  political  economy,  etc.  ;  Philosophy  — 
psychology,  logic  and  the  theory  of  knowledge,  principles  of  metaphysics, 
theistic  and  ethical  philosophy,  etc. 


Hben  Tourjee,  Mus.  Doc. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  called  in  Grove's  Dictionary  of  Music 
and  Musicians,  "  The  father  of  the  conservator}^  or  class  system  of  musical 
instruction  in  America."  When  the  final  statement  is  made,  not  only  this 
but  much  more  is  likely  to  be  found  in  the  crj-stallized  biographical  histor^^ 
of  cyclopedias  and  dictionaries.  He  was  born  of  Huguenot  ancestrj',  June 
I  St,  1834,  ill  Warwick,  R.  I.  His  parents  were  not  wealthy,  and,  at 
the  early  age  of  eight,  he  was  put  at  work  in  a  calico  printing  factory 
in  East  Greenwich,  R.  I.,  and  later  in  a  woolen  mill  of  the  same  town. 
With  some  of  his  earnings  he  entered  the  East  Greenwich  Academy, 
where  he  made  good  use  of  the  little  opportunity  afforded  him  to  secure 
the  education  which  was  to  help  him  in  his  work.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
his  definite  and  conscious  .spiritual  life  began,  and  he  became  a  church 
member.  At  thirteen  he  was  engaged  in  t!ie  cotton  mills  of  Hon.  Elisha 
Harris,  of  Harrisville,  R.  I.  Gov.  Harris,  benevolent,  pious,  sagacious, 
noticed  quickly  the  energy  and  talent  of  the  boy,  his  faithfulness  to 
church  and  Saljbath  .school,  and  his  unusual  musical  ability.  It  was 
through  this  gentleman  that  the  boy  of  thirteen  was  appointed  organist  of 
the  village  church,  before  his  fingers  had  even  touched  a  key  board;  but 
between  Wednesday  evening  and  Sunday  morning,  he  prepared  himself 
to  accompany  the  choir  satisfactorily.  From  this  time  he  bent  his 
energies  in  the  direction  of  a  musical  education,  and  to  forward  this  he 
became  clerk  in  the  store  of  a  music  dealer  in  Providence.  Pushing  for- 
ward in  the  direction  of  his  taste,  he  set  up  for  himself,  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  in  the  business  of  music  dealer,  in  Fall  River,  Mass. ,  where  he 
also  taught  in  the  public  schools  and  otherwise,  and  published  a  musical 
paper.  The  Key-note,  which  he  afterward  enlarged  into  the  Massachu- 
setts Musical  Journal. 

His  residence  in  Fall  River  enabled  him  to  get  instruction  from  the 
best  masters  in  Boston,  then,  as  now,  the  musical,  metropolis  of  the 
countr}-.  About  this  time  the  thought  that  opportunity  for  musical  educa- 
tion v;as  not  offered  as  it  should  be  to  people  of  limited  means,  by  reason 
of  its  costly  methods,  was  deeply  impressed  upon  his  mind,  and  led  him 
to  offer  instruction  once  a  week  for  $1  per  quarter,  to  classes  in  piano, 
violin,  voice,  etc.     Five  hundred  and  sixty  pupils  were  thus  instructed. 

This  was  the  birth  and  beginning  of  the  conser\-atory  sj-stem  in 
America.  In  1859  he  founded  a  musical  institute  in  East  Greenwich,  R. 
I.,  and  became  director  of  music  in  the  same  academy  in  which  he  began 
his  education.  And  here  began  to  appear  that  remarkable  ability,  grasp 
of  details,  well  directed  force  and  clear  perception  of  best  methods  and  of 
the  needs  and  possibilities  of  nnisical  education,  which  some  have  called 

460 


461 


"enthusiasm,"  but  which  might,  perhaps,  better  be  named  Christian  good 
sense.  His  success  was  natural!}-  very  large,  but  such  a  man  could  never 
rest  without  attaining  the  highest  results,  and,  therefore,  with  the  purpose 
to  give  music  to  the  world,  we  find  him,  in  1863,  in  Europe,  conferring 
and  studying  with  eminent  masters  of  the  old  world  —  Sterne,  Grell  and 
Haupt,  Dr.  Marx,  Clapison  and  others  —  and  making  examination  of  the 
methods  and  text  books  used  in  conservatories  of  German}-,  France  and 
Italy,  with  the  purpose  fixed  so  to  improve  musical  education  in  America, 
that  no  student  need  cross  the  ocean  to  obtain  any  musical  advantages 
whatever  ;  and  also,  that  these  great  opportunities  should  be  open  to 
pupils  of  limited  means.  This  purpose  has  long  been  fulfilled  in  the  great 
institution  of  which  he  is  now  the  director  —  the  New  England  Conserva- 
tory of  Music,  in  Boston.  Returning  to  America,  he  established  the 
Providence  Conservatory,  which  was  not  confined  to  music  alone,  but 
to  metrical  culture,  and  like  its  greater  successor  in  Boston,  contained  a 
home  for  lady  pupils,  a  school  of  fine  arts,  etc.  This  school  triumphed  so 
signally  over  prejudice  and  opposition  that  in  1867  he  enlarged  his 
operations  by  establishing  a  similar  school  in  Boston,  which,  under  his 
vigilant  care,  has  steadily  improved,  ad^-anced  and  enlarged,  until  its 
success  has  come  to  .stand  alone,  as  the  greatest  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 
The  personal  histon,^  of  this  man  has  numerous  points  of  special 
interest.  In  1869  he  received,  unexpectedly,  from  the  Wesleyan  Univer- 
sity, the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music.  He  was  also  honored,  in  1887,  with 
a  fellowship  in  the  Society  of  Science,  Letters  and  Art,  of  London. 
In  1869  at  the  request  of  those  in  charge,  he  organized  the  chorus  of  the 
Peace  Jubilee,  a  project  so  colossal  that  it  excited  both  opposition  and 
ridicule,  and  its  supporters  became  so  disheartened  that  in  all  probability 
it  would  have  been  given  up  but  for  the  energy  and  perseverance  of  Dr. 
Tourjee.  Complete  success  crowned  his  labors,  and  musical  culture 
received  an  impulse  unfelt  before  in  America.  He  rendered  a  similar 
ser\nce  in  the  organization  of  the  chorus  of  the  World's  Peace  Jubilee 
in  1874,  where  nearly  20,000  singers  were  brought  together,  and  of  which 
he  was  one  of  the  conductors.  In  1870,  by  the  special  request  of  the 
Teachers'  Association,  he  delivered  in  Cleveland,  O.,  his  strong  and 
conclusive  Pica  for  Vocal  Music  in  Public  Schools.  This  was  published  at 
the  reqtiest  of  the  association,  and  has  become  a  national  document  upon  the 
subject.  To  Dr.  Tourjee  the  countr}-  owes  the  Praise  Service.  This 
form  of  worship  he  labored  personally  to  establish,  lecturing  upon  and 
illustrating  the  subject  in  nearly  a  thousand  churches,  with  him  every- 
thing being  subordinate  to  the  interests  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  These 
remarkable  labors  were  reported  to  the  musical  veteran,  Lowell  Mason, 

462 


and  so  cheered  and  gratified  him  that  he  wrote  in  his  seventy-ninth  year, 
from  Orange,  N.  J.,  to  Dr.  Tourjee,  a  long  and  interesting  letter  expressing 
his  joy  that  a  champion  of  choral  praise  in  worship  had  arisen  at  last, 
making  him,  like  Paul  at  Puteoli,  "thank  God  and  take  courage." 
"Work  on,"  wrote  the  patriarch,  "with  all  diligence.  Defend  the 
cause  of  universal  song  in  the  house  of  the  Lord.  Defend  the  right  of 
the  poor,  the  weak  and  feeble  voices,  the  untutored  ear,  the  poor  in  the 
knowledge  of  notes,  to  their  part  in  the  ser\-ice.  Let  no  one  be  excluded, 
but  let  all  participate  in  this  heart-stirring  exercise  ;  go  on,  I  say,  and 
prosper.  He  who  in  an  upper  chamber  introduced  song  into  the  worship 
of  the  Christian  church,  b}-  joining  in  one,  with  His  disciples,  will  smile 
upon  j-our  efforts. ' ' 

The  Boston  North  End  Mission,  "widely  known,"  says  an  able 
writer,  "  as  one  of  the  noblest  charities  in  this  country,  owes  its  existence 
to  his  active  exertions  and  fostering  care."  Through  the  personal 
influence  of  Dr.  Tourjee,  and  under  his  advice,  the  system  of  musical 
instruction  in  Japan  has  been  entireh^  changed,  and  made  in  all  its 
30,000  schools,  to  conform  to  the  methods  in  use  in  the  New  England 
Conservatory.  A  gentleman  who  had  been  a  teacher  in  the  conservator}-, 
Mr.  Luther  Whiting  Mason,  was  appointed  by  the  Japanese  government 
to  carr>'  out  this  great  and  useful  reform. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  filled  many  offices  and  done  much 
service  to  the  general  public.  He  has  been  president  of  the  Boston 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  the  City  Missionary  Society  and 
National  Music  Teachers'  Association.  He  is  now  dean  of  the  College 
of  Music  of  Boston  University  and  director  of  the  New  England  Con- 
servatory of  Music.  He  has  also  done  large  service  as  an  editor  of 
musical  works,  among  which  are  Piano  Method,  Tribute  of  Praise, 
Chorus  Choir,  Hymnal  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
the  Musical  Herald  is  also  under  his  managing  editorship.  As  an 
educator  he  takes  high  rank.  Mr.  H.  E.  Sheldon,  in  the  magazine 
Education,  says  Dr.  Tourjee's  life  "embodies  the  three  fundamental 
elements  of  the  teacher's  success."  "  He  is  an  inspirer  of  enthusiasm  in 
others,"  is  possessed  of  "sympathj',"  and  "he  lives  in  and  for  and 
through  others,"  "  he  goes  down  to  the  platform  of  his  pupils,  and  leads 
them  step  by  step  up  to  the  higher  plane.  No  one  can  meet  him,  even 
casually,  without  being  impressed  with  the  inborn  grace  and  suavitj-  of 
his  manners, ' '  qualities  which  spring  ' '  spontaneously  from  a  nature 
overflowing  with  sj-mpathy."  "  It  was  this  quality  of  sympathy,"  says 
Mr.  Sheldon,  "which  led  him  to  provide  the  highest  advantages  in 
musical   education    for   those   of  limited   wealth,  by    the   class   system. 

463 


I 


This  sympathy  for  others  has  led  Dr.  Tourjee  and  his  wife  to  sacrifice  the 
quiet  of  a  delightful  home  to  organize  a  great  Christian  household  for 
the  hundreds  of  young  women  who  come  to  the  conservatory.  He  is 
America's  Great  Commoner  in  music."  "The  third  quality  of  the 
teacher  is  '  Vision  of  the  possibilities  which  are  before  himself  and  his 
pupils,  and  a  power  to  inspire  them  with  his  faith.'  We  have  been 
especially  struck  with  his  plan  for  enlarged  general  culture  for  students 
of  music.  If  carried  out  it  will  revolutionize  musical  culture,  and  make 
the  conser\^atory  one  of  the  potent  factors  in  shaping  the  civilization  of 
the  twentieth  centurj-." 

Since  Mr.  Sheldon  wrote  the  above,  six  years  ago,  the  plan  has  been 
pushed  on  toward  its  full  development,  and  the  graduates  of  the  conser- 
vator}' have  taken  higher  and  higher  rank  among  educators  of  the  age  ; 
so  that  to-daj'  they  are  sought  for  by  institutions  of  learning  throughout  the 
countr}'.  Thus  has  been  justified  the  opinion  of  the  directors,  that 
' '  Music  opens  the  way  to  a  broad  general  culture,  and  that  the  im- 
pression that  the  concentration  of  effort,  necessary  to  secure  the  success  of 
students  pursuing  a  musical  course,  precludes  all  possibilitj'  of  culture, 
is  false." 

"  Education,"  says  Dr.  Tourjee,  "  is  a  whole,  simply  because  man  is 
a  unit,  and  one  part  of  man  cannot  be  developed  to  the  highest  point 
without  the  cultivation  of  the  other  parts  of  the  nature.  A  free  education 
is  the  harmonious  development  of  all  the  faculties  to  their  highest  power, 
and  their  application  to  the  highest  use.' 

Dr.  Tourjee,  "in  person,"  says  Mr.  Richard  W.  Husted,  "is  rather 
below  the  medium  height,  of  slight,  graceful  figure,  with  unusually  warm, 
courteous  address,  and  rare  fascination  of  manner  ;  3^et  winning  not  more 
surely  bj'  the  grace  and  sweetness  of  his  demeanor,  than  b}'  the  impressive 
tenderness  and  fervor  of  his  nature.  He  unites  to  a  broad  musical  culture, 
administrative  abilities  of  the  highest  order,  an  indomitable  energj'^  and  an 
aptitude  for  severe  and  long-continued  exertion  which  is  seldom  equaled, 
and  all  are  crowned  by  a  deep,  pervasive  piety,  vitalizing  and  refining  his 
whole  life.  Of  his  special  call  to  be  an  apostle  of  music,  he  entertains  not 
the  slightest  doubt.  Luther  was  not  more  profoundh^  impressed  of  his 
mission  to  preach  the  Reformation  than  he  is  that  he  is  set  apart  to 
disseminate  musical-intelligence  among  the  masses." 

Says  vSir  George  Grove,  in  his  dictionary  :  "  Man}-  are  the  charitable 
enterprises  in  which  he  has  been  active,  and  the  persons  who  have  been 
aided  by  his  bounty." 

He  has  twice  married,  and  has  four  children  —  two  .sons  and  two 
daughters. 

464 


BOSTON  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUSIC. 

jfl^THOUGH  not  the  oldest  conservatory  of  music  in  Boston,  nor 
If  the  most  extensive  in  its  operations,  the  above  school,  under  the 
^^  "*  direction  of  that  distinguished  artist,  Mr.  Julius  Eichberg,  has 
achieved  a  reputation  as  a  seat  of  musical  learning  which  is  not 
confined  to  America  alone,  and  judging  by  its  strictly  musical 
importance,  from  the  results,  as  exhibited  in  the  artistic  distinction 
attained  by  its  graduates,  is  certainly  second  to  no  other  in  America. 
In  one  branch  of  musical  cultivation,  this  conservatory  is  without  a 
peer,  and  has  performed  a  work  of  great  importance  that  cannot  be 
too  highly  estimated.  As  the  violin,  that  only  perfect  musical  instru- 
ment, is  the  specialty  of  this  school,  so  the  violin  department  is  its 
highest  feature  of  excellence.  No  one  has  done  more  than  Mr.  Eichberg 
to  remove  the  prejudice  which  formerly  existed  against  violin  playing,  as 
an  unsuitable  recreation,  not  to  say  profession,  for  the  gentler  sex.  He 
has,  in  fact,  proven  that  so  far  from  the  violin  not  being  a  woman's 
natural  instrument  of  musical  expression,  she  is,  by  her  refined  sensibili- 
ties, peculiarly  adapted  to  the  elucidation  of  the  divine  spirit  of  harmou}- 
that  makes  the  violin  its  home.  Such  graduates  as  Albert  von  Raalte, 
Ivilian  Chandler  and  Lilian  Shattuck  attest  the  excellence  of  the  methods 
of  Mr.  Eichberg  as  a  teacher  skilled  in  the  peculiar  art  of  imparting  to 
others  the  musical  skill  and  learning,  in  which  he  himself  excels,  as  well 
as  the  capacity  of  the  American  j-outli  of  both  sexes  for  fellowship  in  the 
highest  walks  of  musical  art.  Other  special  features  of  the  institution  are 
the  large  pipe  organ,  specially  constructed  for  the  conservatory,  containing 
all  the  stops,  etc.,  and  competent  instructors  from  the  best  English  and 
German  schools, enabling  those  who  so  desire  to  perfect  themselves  for  that 
special  branch  of  musical  labor.  Another  distinguishing  feature  is  the 
limit  of  numbers  in  class  instruction.  Not  more  than  four  are  taught  in 
class  at  one  time,  and  while  this  is  a  hobby  of  Mr.  Eichberg,  and  is  not 
demanded  by  the  experience  of  the  conservatory  system,  yet  it  cannot  fail  to 
be  recognized  as  one  of  the  influences  that  have  combined  to  give  this  insti- 
tution so  high  a  reputation  for  thoroughness  in  the  musical  education  of 
its  pupils.  No  diplomas  are  given  to  students  who  have  been  less  than 
four  consecutive  terms  at  the  conserv^atory,  except  in  special  cases  and  for 

465 


unusual  proficienc3\  Diplomas  are  granted  to  students  who  have  com- 
pleted a  full  course  of  instruction,  theory  and  harmony  included,  to  the 
satisfaction  of  the  directors,  such  course  usually  occupjnng  from  two  to 
three  years.  The  following  is  the  list  of  instructors  for  1889-90  :  Julius 
Eichberg,  Mrs.  Chas.  Lewis,  Carl  Pflueger,  Thomas  A.  Leverett,  W.  R. 
Gibbs,  Miss  Lilian  Shattuck,  Miss  Emma  Le  B.  Kettelle,  Herman  P. 
Chelius,  Albert  Van  Raalte,  Miss  Laura  Webster,  Wulf  Fries,  M.  DeFor- 
rest  Siple,  Geo.  Behr,  Miss  Villa  Whitney  White. 

Julius  Eichberg. 

Among  those  Americans  by  adoption  who  occupy  a  place  of  eminence 

in  American  musical  historj^,  a  most  important  figure  is  that  of  Julius 

Eichberg,  the  founder  and  head  of  the  Boston  Conservatory  of  Music,  and 

a  gentleman  of  both  American  and  Eviropean  repute  as  musician,  teacher 

and  composer.     Mr.  Eichberg  was  born  in  Diisseldorf,  Germany,  in  1824. 

He  came  of  a  musical  family,  his  father  being  a  violinist  and  composer. 

He  handled  the  ' '  pony  ' '  violin  almost  as  soon  as  he  was  large  enough  to 

hold  it,  and  at  the  age  of  seven  had  attained  considerable  proficiency.     At 

eight  he  was  sent  to  Mayence,  and  took  lessons  of  F.  W.  Eichler,  the 

celebrated  virtuoso.     Thence  he  returned  to  the  excellent  tuition  of  his 

father  at  Diisseldorf,  where  he  had  also  the  advantage  of  training  by 

Julius  Rietz,  afterward  a  famous  director  of  Gewandhaus  concerts  and 

kapellmeister  to  the  king  of  Saxony  at  Dresden.     Through  this  connection 

he  was  introduced  to  the  great  Mendelssohn,  who,  after  hearing  the  boy 

play,  wrote  a  commendation  in  these  words  : 

At  so  early  an  age  j-ouug  E.  joins  to  a  remarkable  firmness  and  certainty  in 
bowing,  and  use  of  his  left  hand,  a  great  deal  of  true  expression,  which  will  lead  him, 
I  doubt  not,  to  become  a  great  artist- — to  be  an  honor  to  his  art,  and  to  render  it 
important  service,  and  to  ful511  all  the  expectations  which  his  remarkably  precocious 
talents  have  awakened  concerning  him. 

During  this  period  he  appeared  as  second  violin  in  the  orchestra,  and 
was  al.so  brought  into  communication  with  Robert  Schumann  and  Herbert 
BergmuUer.  He  next  studied  under  the  celebrated  theorist  and  musical 
historian  Fetis  at  the  RoNal  Conservator}'  at  Brussels,  and  also  under  the 
renowned  De  Beriot,  and  an  graduating  gained  the  first  prize  for  violin 
playing  and  composition.  Entering  itpon  the  practice  of  his  profession, 
he  went  to  Geneva  as  director  of  an  opera  company,  and  his  talents  soon 
advanced  him  to  the  position  of  professor  in  the  conservatory  and  director 
of  sacred  music  in  a  prominent  church.  There  he  remained  for  eleven 
years,  when  he  came  to  America  with  a  view  of  benefiting  his  health,  land- 
ing in  New  York  in  1857.  He  played  and  taught  in  that  city  for  two 
years,  removing  to  Boston  in   1859.     His  first  engagement  was  that  of 

466 


director  of  music  at  the  Museum,  where  he  soon  enlisted  the  admiration 
of  the  lovers  of  the  art  in  Boston.  While  here  he  wrote  the  operetta  The 
Doctor  of  Alaxjilam,  a  charming  work,  successfully  produced  April  7, 
1862,  and  which  maintained  its  popularitj-  for  twentj^  years.  He  also 
composed  The  Rose  of  Tyrol,  Two  Cadia  and  A  Night  in  Rome.  He 
remained  at  the  i\Iuseum  for  seven  jears,  and  then,  after  a  j'ear  of  rest, 
was  enabled  to  carr\^  into  effect  a  long  cherished  ambition  in  the  founding 
of  the  Boston  Conservator}^  of  Music,  an  institution  which  is  to-day  the 
first  violin  school  of  the  countr}-,  and  which  has  performed  and  continues 
to  carry  on  a  work  of  national  importance  in  the  cultivation  and  diffusion 
of  music,  and  in  elevating  the  standard  of  art  excellence  throughout  the 
countr)-.  He  was,  shortly  after  the  establishment  of  this  institution, 
appointed  general  supen'isor  and  director  of  music  in  all  the  high  schools 
of  Boston,  in  which  capacity  he  has  performed  a  noble  work  for  the  people 
of  the  modern  Athens,  a  work,  too,  of  far-reaching  influence  outside  the 
boundaries  of  the  city  and  state.  For  one  of  the  annual  concerts  of  the 
combined  choirs  of  these  schools,  he  wrote  the  famous  chorus,  To  Thee, 
O,  Co2intry,  Great  and  Free  !  a  work  preferred  in  the  east  as  a  national 
hymn.  His  other  works  of  composition  include  a  set  of  piano  pieces, 
Lebetisfriihling,  published  at  Leipzig ;  sets  of  string  quartets,  and 
books  of  violin  studies,  adopted  in  the  European  conservatories,  besides 
minor  work.  Mr.  Eichberg,  despite  his  foreign  birth  and  education, 
the  latter  an  important  factor  in  contributing  to  the  advancement  of  the 
cause  of  music  in  this  countn,-,  is  in  every  instinct  and  fiber  an  American, 
and  as  such  the  American  musical  world  is  proud  of  his  reputation  and 
achievements. 

It  is  a  striking  peculiarity  of  Prof.  Eichberg's  musical  activity  that 
the  theatre  of  his  labor  embraces  what  we  ma}-  term  the  extremes  of  use- 
fulness. On  the  one  hand,  he  is  devoted  with  admirable  skill  and 
method  to  the  cultivation  of  the  grand  work  of  a  general  musical  taste, 
hy  his  work  in  the  direction  of  music  in  the  public  schools  of  a  great  city  ; 
on  the  other,  in  the  most  exalted  walk  of  the  art,  he  is  an  active  and 
important  instrument  in  the  illustration  of  the  loftiest  capabilities  of 
music,  and  a  potent  agent  for  the  promulgation  of  the  best  forms  of  higher 
musical  culture. 

The  principal  points  of  Prof.  Eichberg's  usefulness  to  American  music, 
and  his  important  place  therein,  outside  of  the  work  of  the  excellent  insti- 
tution which  he  has  conducted  with  such  fidelity  to  the  highest  traditions 
of  musical  art,  may  be  summed  up  as  follows  :  First,  his  thorough  iden- 
tification with  the  representative  ideas  of  Americanism  ;  second,  his  impor- 
tance in  the  field  of  composition  ;  third,  the  conscientious  effort  which  he 

468 


has  devoted  to  the  grounding  of  musical  sentiment  upon  a  faithful  art 
basis,  so  far  as  its  direction  has  fallen  into  his  hands  ;  fourth,  in  the  rank 
which  he  takes  as  a  composer  in  the  list  of  those  whom  we  are  privileged 
to  regrard  as  American. 


THE  GRAND  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUSIC  OF  THE  CITY  OF 

NEW  YORK. 

This  institution  was  founded  in  1874  b}-  Ernst  Eberhard,  and 
incoq:)orated  by  act  of  legislature,  passed  May  23,  1884,  empowering 
it  to  confer  the  degrees  of  bachelor,  master  and  doctor  of  music. 
Testimonials  are  granted  to  students  who  have  mastered  the  course 
of  studies  to  the  satisfaction  of  their  instructors,  and  whose  record 
•in  regard  to  regularity  of  attendance  and  application  is  faultless. 
Diplomas  are  given  to  graduates  who  have  passed  through  the  full 
course.  Thej-  are  expected  and  required  to  appear  at  a  public  recital,  at 
which  they  must  demonstrate  their  ability  and  proficiency  in  the  several 
departments  of  obligatory-  study  comprising  the  grand  conservatory  course, 
vocal,  instrumental,  theoretical  or  otherwise.  It  is  the  intention  and 
determination  of  the  directors  and  faculty  that  every  diploma  or  other 
testimonial  from  this  institution  shall  be  fairly  and  honestly  earned. 
Applicants  for  diplomas  are  expected  to  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
harmony,  and  must  be  able  to  harmonize  properly  a  given  bass  or  melody, 
and  to  write  in  two,  three  or  four  parts  in  all  the  orders  of  single  counter- 
point. A  good  knowledge  of  musical  form  and  musical  histon,-  is  required, 
as  well.  Students  who  pass  the  required  examination,  and  who  produce 
a  composition  for  voices  with  accompaniment  for  the  organ  or  pianoforte, 
containing  polyphonic  writing  (fugue  in  four  parts),  will  be  granted  the 
degree  of  bachelor  of  music  (B.  M.).  The  degree  of  master  of  music 
(M.  M.)  is  granted  to  those  who  are  able  to  pass  a  satisfactory'  examina- 
tion in  canon,  fugue,  etc.,  in  addition  to  the  requirements  for  the  degree 
of  bachelor  of  music,  and  who  can  produce  a  work  for  chorus  and 
orchestra.  A  comprehensive  knowledge  of  musical  history  and  acoustics, 
and  ability  to  work  out  a  thesis  on  some  musical  subject,  is  also  expected 
of  applicants  for  this  degree.  The  degree  of  doctor  of  music  (Mus.  Doc.) 
is  conferred  upon  artists  whose  long  and  devoted  services  in  their  art  may 
seem  to  justify  or  demand  a  recognition  as  exalted  as  the  board  of  directors 
have  in  their  power  to  grant.  The  Grand  Conservator}-  occupies  a  spa- 
cious building  of  its  own,  at  No.  98  Fifth  avenue,  and  is  largely  patron- 
ized by  the  best  classes. 

469 


Ernst  Eberhard. 

Ernst  Eberhard  was  born  in  Hanover,  German}',  Maj-  30,  1839. 
He  studied  under  Heinrich  Enckhausen,  H.  Marshner  and  H.  Lahme}'er. 
When  he  first  came  to  this  countr}^  he  held  a  number  of  positions,  but 
finally  determined  to  go  south,  where  he  taught  in  different  colleges  and 
seminaries  and  played  in  concerts.  In  1864  he  returned  to  New  York 
city  and  accepted  an  engagement  as  baritone  singer  in  a  church.  After 
this  his  rise  was  rapid.  His  great  musical  knowledge  and  his  commanding 
powers  as  an  organist  gained  him  a  position  at  St.  Ann's  church  in 
Brooklj^n.  From  St.  Ann's  he  went  to  the  church  of  the  Paulists,  on 
Fiftj'-ninth  street,  where  he  remained  as  conductor  and  organist  for  ten 
years  and  acquired  a  reputation  for  his  conscientious,  excellent  work.  At 
this  church  he  had  under  his  direction  manj'  of  the  best  soloists,  a  large 
chorus,  a  choir  of  some  eighty  singers  and  an  orchestra  composed  of 
members  of  the  Philharmonic,  among  whom  were  such  distinguished 
performers  as  Grill,  Noll,  Besig  and  Bohm.  To  give  an  idea  of  the 
character  of  the  work  done  it  may  be  mentioned  that  Mr.  Eberhard 
brought  out  Beethoven's  Mass  in  C,  Haj-dn's  I»iperial  and  Sixteenth 
Masses,  Gounod's  Great  Mass,  two  masses  by  Cherubini,  one  by  Righini, 
and  Cherubini 's  Requiem.  He  also  arranged  all  the  mottettes  and  hymns 
sung  in  the  church,  for  chorus  and  orchestra.  While  at  the  Paulist 
church,  he  was  also  conductor  of  several  German  singing  societies,  con- 
ductor of  the  St.  Cecilia  mixed  chorus,  of  the  Flora  mixed  chorus,  of  the 
Harmonic  and  Philharmonic  societies  in  Newark.  He  also  gave  a 
number  of  symphony  concerts  at  the  Academy  of  Music  in  Brookljn,  and 
at  Steinway  hall.  With  these  various  societies  he  produced  such  works 
as  the  second,  third,  fifth  and  eighth  symphonies  of  Beethoven  ;  Mendel- 
ssohn's Scotch  symphony  and  a  number  of  others  by  Haydn  and  Mozart. 
Among  the  oratorios  produced  under  his  direction,  were  Haydn's 
Creation  and  Seasons,  Handel's  Messiah  and  Judas  Maecabceus,  and 
Mendelssohn's  Elijah.  The  soloists  at  these  concerts  were  such  artists 
as  Clara  Louise  Kellogg,  lima  di  Murska,  Parepa  Rosa  and  Pauline 
Eucca.  In  1873  he  left  the  church  of  the  Paulists  to  accept  the  position 
of  organist  at  the  First  Baptist  church.  Finally,  in  1876,  Mr.  Eberhard 
gave  up  all  his  various  positions  to  start  the  Grand  Consen-atory  of 
Music,  with  which  institution  he  has  remained  ever  since,  conducting  it 
with  remarkable  energy,  and  bringing  it  up  to  the  prominent  position 
which  it  holds  to-day. 

Mr.  Eberhard  is  author  of  twelve  books  of  studies  for  piano,  a 
new  piano  method  (two  books),  and  a  number  of  other  educational 
publications. 

470 


/!U<p^i^^^Tty. 


THE  NEW  YORK  COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC. 

5^  HE  New  York  College  of  Music  was  established  in  1878,  and 
I     dul}^  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state  of  New  York. 

^=^  The  college  building  is  on  East  Seventieth  street,  near  Lexing- 
ton avenue.  The  oflficers  of  the  company  are  Rev.  Richard  D. 
©  Harlan,  president;  Morris  Reno,  vice-president;  Alexander  Lambert, 
I  director;  Latham  G.  Reed,  secretary;  Otto  Rother,  treasurer.  The 
faculty  of  the  New  York  College  of  Music  is  an  excellent  one,  including 
Alexander  Lambert,  the  director,  who  is  assisted  in  the  piano  department 
bj^  Louis  Oesterle,  D.  M.  Levett,  Florian  Oborskt  and  H.  Woehaf;  in 
the  vocal  department,  Mme.  Anna  Lankow,  Luigi  Meola,  Geo.  F.  Allen 
and  Pietro  Bignardi;  violin  department,  Mr.  Henry  Lambert  and  Mr. 
Gustav  Dannreuther;  violoncello  department,  Mr.  Adolph  Hartdegen; 
harmony,  C.  C.  Mueller  and  S.  Austin  Pearce;  and  in  addition  compe- 
tent and  well  known  instructors  in  the  departments  of  elocution,  organ, 
vocal  hygiene,  historj'  of  music,  chamber  music,  wind  instruments  and 
languages. 

The  college  (opened  in  1878),  has  for  its  object  the  foundation  and 
the  diffusion  of  a  high  musical  education,  which,  based  on  the  study  of 
the  classic  masters,  embraces  whatever  is  good  in  modern  art.  The 
institution  endeavors  to  attain  this  end  by  well  grounded  instruction 
imparted  not  only  to  those  who  wish  to  devote  themselves  to  music  as 
artists  and  teachers,  but  also  to  amateurs,  whose  onh'  object  it  is  to 
acquire  a  correct  knowledge  of  music. 

The  college  building  is  advantageously  located  a  few  blocks  from 
Central  Park,  and  it  is  an  edifice  admirabl}^  adapted  to  the  purpose  to 
which  it  is  devoted.  The  concert  hall  in  connection  with  the  school  is  in 
constant  use  for  musical  entertainments,  lectures,  etc. ,  to  which  students 
and  their  families  have  free  admission. 

In  order  to  accustom  advanced  pupils  to  perform  in  public,  and  to 
give  all  pupils  the  greatest  possible  opportunity  to  hear  good  music  and 
to  increa.se  their  knowledge  of  musical  literature,  performances  and  concerts 
are  given  during  the  winter  terms,  and  as  a  general  rule  everj-  two 
weeks.  The  remarkable  public  interest  manifested  in  the  concerts  of  the 
college,  as  shown  in  the  attendance,  having  repeatedly  outgrown  the  halls 


47J 


in  wliich  they  are  held,  and  the  addition  to  the  faculty  of  the  eminent 
performers,  have  led  to  an  important  extension  of  the  college  plans  in  this 
department.  A  special  concert  is  also  given  each  season  at  Chickering 
hall,  in  which  an  orchestra  participates,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Walter 
Damrosch.  A  limited  number  of  free  scholarships  are  given  every  year 
to  talented  and  de.ser\-ing  pupils,  as  well  as  several  partial  scholarships 
which  carry  with  them  the  advantage  of  studying  at  the  college  at  reduced 
rates.  The  concerts  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  college  are  of  notable 
excellence,  and  some  of  the  best  musical  talent  in  Xew  York  participates 
in  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  pupils  of  the  institution.  During  last  year 
Mr.  Wm.  J.  Henderson,  the  talented  critic  of  the  New  York  Times,  lectured 
on  musical  history  before  the  pupils  on  a  number  of  occasions. 

During  the  past  elev/n  j-ears  the  college  has  developed  steadily,  and 
the  roster  of  pupils  each  year  shows  a  large  increase.  Under  the  able 
direction  of  Mr.  Lambert  and  with  the  fine  corps  of  teachers  connected 
with  it,  the  school  has  been  doing  excellent  w'ork  in  the  field  of  educa- 
tion in  art. 

Alexander  Lambert. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  native  of  Poland,  having  been  born  in 
Warsaw  in  1862.  He  inherited  the  musical  talent,  his  father  having  been 
a  musician  of  reputation,  and  after  a  course  of  study  at  home,  was  by  the 
advice  of  Rubinstein  sent  to  Vienna,  where  he  entered  the  conservator^', 
and  after  completing  his  studies  under  Julius  Epstein,  the  nottd  pianist, 
graduated  at  sixteen,  with  the  highest  honors.  Subsequently  he  studied 
at  Weimar  under  Liszt,  after  which  he  appeared  in  concerts  with  great 
success  in  many  German  cities.  On  coming  to  the  United  States,  his 
success  was  immediate  and  flattering  to  his  capacity.  He  was  first  heard 
in  Schumann  G  minor  sonata,  and  his  interpretation  of  this  secured  the 
admiration  of  the  New  York  crities,  who  classed  him  with  pianists  of 
rank,  and  particularly  with  JosefFy.  At  Steinway  hall  he  appeared  with 
Remenyi  and  freely  shared  the  honors  with  the  great  Hungarian  violinist. 
His  playing  at  that  time  was  noted  for  its  boldness  and  confidence,  his 
certain  method  of  attack,  and  the  correctness  of  his  conceptions.  His 
dexterity  was  prodigious  and  was  ahvays  the  subject  of  remark.  With 
his  many  good  qualities,  however,  he  united  some  defects,  and  thi.s  w^as 
freely  criticised  in  the  musical  newspapers.  Determining  to  render  his 
faculty  beyond  the  reach  of  criticism  if  necessarj',  Mr.  Lambert  determined 
to  spend  a  year  in  Germany,  and  here  his  style  of  playing  was  greatly 
matured,  and  acquired  those  qualities  which  had  previously  been  lacking. 

He  improved  in  the  shading  and  color  of  his  interpretations,  and 
infused  into  his  work  qualities  of  the  art.     While  in  Europe  he  was  asso- 


dated  with  Moszkowski  and  later  with  Joachim,  the  latter  having  engaged 
him  for  a  tour  through  Germany.  On  this  occasion  at  Kiel  he  played 
before  the  prince  and  princess  of  Schleswig-Holstein.  Subsequently  he 
was  invited  by  the  Philharmonic  Societ3'  of  Berlin  to  play  on  the  occasion 
of  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Beethoven.  On  suggestion  of  Hans  von 
Bulow,  he  gave  the  great  concerts  C  major  and  C  minor  concertos  with  the 
original  cadenzas.  This  was  an  exceedingly  happy  choice,  and  won  from 
the  press  and  public  of  Berlin  many  encomiums.  Leaving  Berlin,  Mr.  Lam- 
bert then  paid  a  visit  to  his  native  city  of  Warsaw,  where  he  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Sarasate,  with  whom  he  gave  concerts.  Next  he  went  to 
the  Mecca  of  all  artists  of  the  time,  Weimar,  and  paid  a  visit  of  four 
months'  duration  to  Franz  Liszt.  Among  other  artists  at  Weimar  during 
this  time  were  Jaell,  Silote  and  Saint  Saens.  Of  this  .sojourn  Mr.  Lam- 
bert says:  "  He  who  has  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  being  the  object  of 
the  Master's  solicitude  knows  how  precious  is  every  word  of  Liszt's  while 
one  is  playing  for  him.  It  is  especially  interesting  to  hear  him  play 
Chopin  and  embrace  each  object  of  relation,  the  history  of  the  sentiments 
describe  in  tone."  Having  thus  completed  his  art  equipments,  Mr.  Lam- 
bert resumed  his  work  in  New  York  with  an  enlarged  repertoire  and  a 
degree  of  proficiency  that  brought  constant  and  brilliant  success.  His 
first  performance  after  his  return  was  at  one  of  the  Van  der  Stucken  con- 
certs, with  the  G  minor  pianoforte  concerto  by  Saint  Saens.  The  brill- 
iancy of  his  technique  combined  with  brilliancy  and  extreme  beauty  in  tone, 
attracted  universal  applause.  Franz  Van  der  Stucken  thus  expresses  his 
opinion  of  Mr.  Lambert's  plaj-ing  of  the  Chopin  F  minor  concerto.  "  It 
was  a  complete  surprise  to  most  all  of  his  friends,  who  were  not  slow  to 
realize  they  were  being  favored  by  an  ideal  performance  of  this  musical 
gem,  in  which  technical  perfection  was  enforced  by  brilliancy,  fire,  inspi- 
ration and  intellectual  depth."  He  was  recalled  four  times  amid  a  per- 
fect furor  of  applause.  He  played  equally  with  Littolf  Scherzo.  During 
several  seasons  previous  to  his  connection  with  the  New  York  College  of 
Music,  he  was  a  leading  attraction  on  the  principal  occasions  of  the  Sym- 
phony Societ}',  of  New  York,  the  Damrosch  Symphony  Society,  of  Brook- 
lyn, the  Boston  Symphony  Orchestra,  under  Gericke,  the  Anton  Seidl  con- 
certs, New  York,  and  the  Novelty  concerts,  Symphony  concerts,  Sunday 
Orchestral  concerts  and  Classical  Afternoon  concerts  by  Vanderstucken. 
At  the  head  of  the  New  York  College  of  Music,  he  is  in  a  position  to 
benefit  rising  artists  by  the  qualities  which  have  surrounded  his  musical 
career  with  so  much  distinction  personaily.  Mr.  Lambert  is  an  earnest 
and  conscientious  artist,  and  is  admirably  fitted  for  the  position  he 
occupies. 

475 


METROPOLITAN  CONSERVATORY. 

?HE   Metropolitan   Conservatory  of   Music,    located   at   21   East 
Fourteenth  street,  New  York  city,  was  organized  in  1885,  by 
^   Messrs.  C.  B.  Hawley  and  H.   W.   Green,   for  the  purpose  of 
affording  well  balanced  musical  education,  according  to  the  stand- 
ards of  the  America  >  College  of  Musicians,  of  which  body  nearly 
all  the  faculty  are  prominent  members. 

Herbert  W.  Greene, 

One  of  the  founders,  and  now  secretary  and  business  manager  of  the 
Metropolitan  Conserv-ator}-  of  Music,  New  York,  was  born  in  1852  at 
Holyoke,  Mass.  He  had  no  early  advantages  of  instruction  in  music, 
and  it  was  not  until  he  grew  to  manhood  that  he  had  the  opportunity  to. 
study.  H?  devoted  some  j^ears  to  his  art  in  America,  and. then  visited 
the  art  centres  of  Europe,  where  he  studied  under  the  best  masters  of 
voice,  and  acquainted  himself  with  all  the  best  methods  of  musical  instruc- 
tion as  a  voice  specialist.  Returning  to  the  United  States,  he  developed  a 
plan  for  a  school  of  advanced  musical  culture.  Mr.  Dudle}^  Buck  con- 
n  sented  to  head  the  faculty,  and  Mr.  Samuel  P.  Warren,  Mr.  H.  R.  Shelley, 

Mr.  L.  R.  Russell,  Mr.  Clifford  Schmidt  and  other  eminent  specialists 
co-operated  in  the  movement,  and  the  work  was  begun,  Mr.  Charles  B. 
Hawley,  a  former  pupil,  being  a  partner.  Since  then  the  conser\''atory 
has  combined  with  the  Stern  School  of  Languages  and  the  Dowd  School 
of  Physical  Culture,  and  has  been  remarkably  successful,  exerting  a  wide- 
spread influence  for  good  in  the  countrj-.  The  phenomenal  success  of  this 
school  is  largely  due  to  the  energy  and  business  tact  of  Mr.  Greene,  whose 
genius  for  education  is  sufficiently  evident  in  the  selection  of  so  eminent  a 
faculty.  Most  of  the  teaching  is  done  individually,  only  a  small  part  of  it 
in  classes,  and  these  are  kept  small,  the  design  being  to  retain  the  stimu- 
lative advantages  of  the  class  system,  without  sacrificing  thoroughness  and 
individuality.  Great  stress  is  laid  upon  the  necessity  of  well  balanced 
education  in  theory.  The  faculty  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished  yet 
brought  together  in  America,  Mr.  A.  R.  Parsons  heading  the  pianoforte 
department. 

476 


CHICAGO  MUSICAL  COLLEGE. 

f  HIS  important  institution  of  musical  learning,  wliich  ranks  with 
the  best  in  America,  was  originally  established  by  Dr.  Florence 
Ziegfeld,  in  1867,  being  at  first  known  as  the  Chicago  Musical 
Academy.  Its  success  was  immediate  and  cumulative  from  year  to 
year,  and  expanded  in  its  operations  so  rapidly  that  it  was  driven  from 
one  location  to  another  larger,  and  so  on,  till  in  the  fall  of  187 1  it 
occupied  the  whole  of  the  then  splendid  building  at  253  Wabash  avenue, 
and  Dr.  Ziegfeld,  the  president,  was  looking  forward  to  the  fall  and  winter 
terms  to  give  new  evidence  of  success,  with  his  improved  and  enlarged 
surroundings  and  facilities,  when  the  great  fire  of  Chicago  came,  and  in  a 
few  hours  all  was  swept  away.  But  nothing  could  daunt  the  indomitable 
courage  and  determination  of  its  president,  nor  impair  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  and  before  snow  fell  that  5'ear  he  had  his  school  re-established.  It 
has  ever  since  maintained  an  onward  and  upward  career,  and  to-day  its 
standing  is  recognized  in  Europe  as  superior  to  that  of  many  continental 
institutions.  In  1882  the  college  occupied  its  present  extensive,  attractive 
and  admirably  arranged  quarters  in  the  Central  Music  Hall  building.  State 
and  Randolph;  but  even  with  this  accommodation  it  has  been  found  neces- 
sary to  establish  a  branch  at  501  Adams  street,  and  it  is  hoped  that  at  an 
early  day  the  directors  will  be  able  to  gratifj^  their  ambition  to  place  at  the 
disposal  of  the  faculty  a  building  which  shall  be  a  temple  of  the  musical  art 
worthy  of  its  high  purposes  and  importance,  and  of  the  wide  reputation  of 
this  institution.  In  every  department  of  this  school.  Dr.  Ziegfeld  has 
always  been  particular  —  indeed,  it  has  been  an  ambition  with  him  —  to 
secure  the  highest  attainable  talent ;  and  hence  the  college  offers  to  its 
pupils  the  advantage  of  instruction  by  artists  of  established  reputation 
in  the  musical  world.  The  system  pursued  is  not  only  strictlj^  academic, 
but  it  is  as  strictly  and  thoroughly  applied  as  in  any  of  our  higher 
universities.  We  use  the  words  of  the  New  York  Mtisical  Courier  in 
describing  the  plan  pursued: 

Through  the  arrangement  of  examinations  held  at  the  end  of  each  term  of  ten 
weeks,  in  every  department,  most  satisfactory  results  have  been  reached.  In  this 
way  pupils  in  the  college  are  stimulated  to  their  best  efforts  to  become  as  proficient 
as  possible  in  their  respective  studies,  and  there  is  a  strict  accounting  kept  at  these 
examinations  of  the  pupils'  progress.  A  report  is  issued  to  every  pupil,  giving  the 
average  standing  for  the  term,  for  attendance,  practice  and  improvement.     Through 

478 


these  reports  the  parents  aud  friends  of  scholars  become  acquainted  with  their  gen- 
eral progress.     At  the  end  of  the  school  year,  the  final  examinations  take  place. 

The  gold  medals  are  of  beautiful  design,  set  with  a  diamond,  and  are  donated 
by  public-spirited  citizens  who  feel  the  importance  of  encouraging  aspiring  students 
who  have  musical  talent  and  ability,  and  are  awarded  at  the  commencement  exercises 
to  pupils  who  have  especially  distinguished  themselves  by  rapid  advancement  in  their 
respective  studies.  Through  concerts,  soirees,  recitals  and  the  weekly  ensemble 
class,  a  musical  atmosphere  is  created,  and  affords  the  student  the  opportunity  to 
become  acquainted  with  the  best  works  of  composers  of  symphonies,  oratorios  and 


CHICAGO    MUSICAL    COLLEGE. 

chamber  music.  In  the  soirees  the  pupils  take  part,  thereby  gaining  a  self-possession 
which  only  comes  through  experience.  A  remarkable  public  interest  is  manifested 
in  the  grand  concerts,  wheu  the  facultj'  of  eminent  performers  take  part  in  programs 
of  the  choicest  music,  assisted  by  a  full  orchestra  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Ziegfeld. 
Other  collateral  attractions  are  the  orchestra  school,  sight-reading  class,  and  lectures 
upon  musical  topics  every  week. 

Dr.  Ziegfeld  has  shown  his  art  sj-mpathy  in  determining  that  lack 
of  means  shall  not  debar  deserving  talent  from  the   advantages  of  his 

479 


admirable  institution.  One  of  its  features  is  the  throwing  open  to  the 
public  of  fifteen  free  scholarships,  and  one  hundred  partial  scholarships, 
to  talented  and  desen'ing  students,  who  have  not  otherwise  the  means  to 
provide  for  thorough  musical  equipment. 

The  regular  school  year  has  four  terms  of  ten  weeks  each. 

The  first  term  commences  second  Monday  in  September,  and  closes 
third  Saturday  in  November.  The  second  term  commences  third  Mon- 
day in  November,  and  closes  second  Saturday  in  February.  Two  weeks 
vacation  —  from  December  23  to  January  4.  The  third  term  commences 
second  Monday  in  February  and  closes  third  Saturday'  in  April.  The 
fourth  term  commences  third  Monday  in  April  and  closes  last  Saturday 
in  June.  Tlie  annual  concert  and  commencement  exercises  take  place 
last  week  in  June.  There  is  also  a  summer  normal  session  of  one  month, 
commencing  second  week  in  July. 

Among  the  graduates  of  this  institution,  who  exemplify  its  advan- 
tages, are  such  brilliant  pianists  as  Mrs.  Frank  Nightingale,  Miss  L. 
Clare  Osborne,  Mi.ss  Mollie  A.  Nuveen,  Miss  Emma  Wilkins,  Miss  Sadie 
Hayman,  etc. 

The  officers  of  the  college  are  Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld,  president ;  F.  Ziegfeld, 
Jr.,  treasurer  and  secretary;  John  B.  Harris,  Belle  Sawj-er  and  Agnes 
Matthews,  assistant  secretaries. 

Board  of  Directors. — Rev.  Dr.  H.  W.  Thomas,  William  M.  Hovt,  N.  K. 
Fairbank,  W.  W.  Kimball,  Dr.  Ph.  H.  Matthei,  J.  Harley  Bradley,  Gen.  Clias.  Fitz 
Simons,  Julius  Rosenthal,  Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld  aud  F.  Ziegfeld,  Jr. 

The  following  constitute  the  faculty,  and  have  charge  of  the  different 
branches  of  instruction. 

Piano. — Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld,  director;  August  Hyllested,  assistant  director;  Victor 
Garwood;  Louis  Falk;  Adolph  Kcelling;  Maurice  Rosenfeld ;  L.  Clare  Osborne; 
Emma  Wilkins  ;  Addie  Adams  Hull ;  Effie  Murdock  ;  Maud  Quivey  ;  Stella  Sisson  ; 
Eva  B.  Loelir;  Ida  Strawbridge ;  Margaret  Rankin.  I'ocal  iMusic — L.  A.  Phelps, 
director;  Mrs.  O.  L.  Fox  ;  J.  Allen  Preisch  ;  Eva  Emmet  Wycoff.  Sight  Reading. — 
Dr.  H.  S.  Perkins.  Chorus  Class. — ^J.  A.  Phelps.  Organ. — Louis  Falk;  I'iolin. — 
S.  E.  Jacobsohn,  director;  Joseph  Ohlheiser ;  Theodore  Binder.  Violoncello.— 
Meiuhard  Eichheim.  Harp. — Mme.  Josephine  Chatterton.  directress;  Miss  Julia 
Phelps.  Flute  and  Clarionet. — Fred  Fowler.  Cornet. — Herbert  Hutchins.  3fando- 
lin. — S.  Tomas.  Banjo  and  Guitar. — W.S.Baxter;  F.  J.  Kugler.  Harmony,  Count- 
erpoint, Canon  and  Fugue. — Louis  Falk  ;  Adolph  Kcelling.  Composition. — Adolph 
Krelling.  History  of  Music. — W.  S.  B.  Mathews.  Flocution. — airs.  Laura  J. 
Tisdale,  directress;  Mrs.  Lillian  Woodward  Gunckel.  Foreign  Languages.— 
Henry  Cohn,  German  :  Leontine  Arnot-Cohn,  French  ;  Candido  Rosi,  Spanish;  G. 
Mantellini,  Italian.     Physiology  of  Vocal  Organs. — Dr.  Boerue  Bettman. 

Dr.  Florence  Ziegfeld. 
'  'Among  the  foremost  of  those  who  have  devoted  their  lives  to  musical 
art  in  Chicago,  and  have  contributed  to  the  development  of  taste  and  cult- 
ure in  music,  stands  Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld,  the  founder  of  one  of  the  largest  mur 
sical  conservatories  in  the  United  States  —  one  that  rivals,  in  all  its  depart- 

48c 


ments,  the  best  in  Europe."  We  may  adopt  tiiese  words  and  extend 
them  in  their  application  to  the  whole  field  of  musical  cultivation  in  this 
countr>\  Dr.  Ziegfeld  was  born  in  the  town  of  Jener,  in  the  grand 
duch}'  of  Oldenburg,  Germany,  in  1843.  His  father,  a  court  official  of 
the  grand  duke,  was  passionatel}^  devoted  to  music,  and  when  the  taste 
and  talent  for  the  art  became  evident  in  j^oung  Florence,  in  his  earliest 
years  of  intelligence,  the  father  was  delighted  to  afford  them  every 
opportunity  for  development.  He  took  his  first  lesson  on  the  piano 
at  the  early  age  of  six  years,  and  under  the  guidance  of  the  best 
available  teachers  soon  attained  remarkable  proficiencj^,  pla5nng,  when 
but  ten  years  old,  in  public  and  private  concerts  with  a  skill  and  confi- 
dence that  elicited  admiration  and  secured  many  flattering  prophecies  of 
a  distinguished  career.  Continuing  his  studies  with  excessive  zeal  and 
application,  to  the  detriment  of  his  health,  he  made,  at  fifteen,  his  first 
voyage  to  America,  to  visit  a  brother  in  New  York,  and  to  regain  the 
phj'sical  vigor  which  had  been  impaired.  This  visit  at  that  time  decided 
him  to  make  America  his  future  home,  but  in  order  to  thoroughly  equip 
himself  for  the  career  which  his  ambition  had  in  view,  he  returned  to 
Europe  and  entered  the  Leipzig  Conservator}',  where  for  several  \'ears  he 
remained  the  pupil  of  such  eminent  musicians  as  Moscheles,  Richter,  Pap- 
peritz,  Plaid}',  Wenzel,  David  and  others.  In  1863,  having  refused  a 
most  tempting  offer  to  go  to  Russia  to  take  charge  of  a  large  conserv'atory 
there,  he  came  to  America,  and  November  of  that  year  found  him  settled 
in  Chicago,  and  soon  successfully  engaged  as  a  teacher  of  music.  By  1867 
his  patronage  had  become  so  extensive  as  to  suggest  the  necessity  for 
organization  on  the  conserv-atory  system,  and  in  that  year  he  established 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Music,  which  was  the  precursor  of  the  larger 
and  more  complete  and  important  institution,  the  Chicago  Musical 
College.  In  1868,  with  his  pupils,  he  gave  his  first  public  concert, 
which,  despite  unfavorable  conditions,  was  a  gratifying  success,  and  from 
that  day  to  the  present  the  people  of  Chicago  have  never  failed  in  avail- 
ing themselves  of  ever}-  public  opportunity  of  testifying  their  appreciation 
of  the  services  which  Dr.  Ziegfeld  has  so  zealously  and  unremittingly 
rendered  to  the  cause  of  musical  culture.  Of  his  success  in  building  up 
the  Chicago  Musical  College,  we  treat  elsewhere.  Since  settling  in 
Chicago,  Dr.  Ziegfeld  has  visited  Europe  no  less  than  eleven  times ;  on 
one  occasion  taking  a  number  of  his  pupils  with  him,  to  improve  their 
opportunities,  and  on  another  to  select  attractions  for  the  great  Boston 
Peace  Jubilee,  in  1872,  having  been  chosen  for  this  latter  task  out  of  all 
the  prominent  figures  in  music  in  America  at  that  time.  Dr.  Ziegfeld  has 
always    maintained    acquaintance    and  correspondence  with  the  princi- 

4S2 


CyY^^(LJL//^  ^^.    c:^^ 


483 


pal  masters  of  Europe,  Liszt,  Wagner,  Joachim.  Strauoj,  Rubinstein, 
Franz  Bendel  and  others,  and  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  is  heLl  i.i  f.u 
higher  musical  circles,  we  may  judge  from  the  following  extract  from  a 
letter  addressed  in  1S72  by  Dr.  Conrad  Schleinitz,  director  of  the  Leipzig 
Conser\'ator>'  of  ISIusic,  to  Miiller  von  Werra,  the  distinguished  poet : 

Of  Dr.  Ziegfeld  himself  it  gives  us  great  pleasure  to  say  that  his  owu  profound 
and  comprehensive  musical  attainments  are  the  result  of  his  early  studies  in  our 
institution.  While  here  he  was  so  distinguished  for  conscientious  industry  in  his 
studies,  as  well  as  for  great  natural  talent  and  exemplary  conduct,  that  we  looked 
forward  with  high  expectation  toward  his  future  career.  These  expectations  have 
been  more  than  realized.  *  *  *  From  Dr.  Ziegfeld's  exceptional  artistic  accom- 
plishments, and  his  conscientiousness  as  a  teacher,  we  feel  safe  in  concluding  that 
the  instruction  of  the  academy  is  of  the  most  thorough  description.  The  scholars 
who  come  from  this  institution  have  shown  such  careful  and  symmetrical  develop- 
ment, that  we  are  convinced  that  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Music  is  a  most  reliable 
school,  and  its  graduates  are  for  the  same  reason  peculiarly  welcome  to  our  con- 
servatory. 

Dr.  Ziegfeld  is  not  only  an  artist  of  high  talent,  but  he  possesses  a 
genius  for  teaching  —  that  rare  faculty  of  being  able  to  successfully  impart 
musical  knowledge  and  artistic  taste  and  perceptions  to  others  ;  and  he  is, 
moreover,  as  a  business  man  and  an  organizer  in  every  work  that  comes 
under  his  hands,  without  a  rival  in  skill  and  thoroughness. 

Mrs.  O.  L.  Fox. 

Prominent  among  western  teachers  of  the  vocal  art  is  Mrs.  O.  L. 
Fox,  who  for  years  has  done  vigorous  and  persevering  work  for  the  devel- 
opment of  musical  culture  in  the  west.  Mrs.  Fox  is  a  native  of  Boston, 
where  at  the  age  of  seven  years  she  began  the  study  of  music,  with  such 
notable  progress  that  at  the  age  of  seventeen  she  was  a  successful  choir 
singer,  and  very  soon  became  prominent  as  solo  artist  at  musical  conven- 
tions in  all  parts  of  New  England.  In  June,  1869,  Mrs.  Fox  was  engaged 
as  soprano  at  the  Second  Presbyterian  church,  of  Chicago,  having  been 
selected  for  the  position  by  Mrs.  J.  H.  Long,  her  celebrated  Boston 
teacher.  She  made  her  debut  the  following  winter  with  the  Chicago 
Orpheus  Society,  under  the  direction  of  Hans  Balatka,  in  Haj-dn's  Crea- 
tion.  Mrs.  Fox  remained  soprano  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  church 
until  the  great  Chicago  fire  of  187 1,  when  she  returned  to  Boston  for  a 
year  and  renewed  her  study,  returning  to  the  western  metropolis  to  accept 
a  position  at  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  church,  then  Professor  Swing's. 
For  five  years  past  she  has  been  connected  with  the  Chicago  Musical  Col- 
lege, in  this  capacity  having  instructed  some  of  the  best  singers  graduated 
from  that  institution.  Mrs.  Fox  is  also  known  in  a  literarj-  waj-,  having 
for  several  years  been  musical  critic  for  The  Indicator,  and  contributed 
liberally  to  other  periodicals.  As  concert  soprano  she  has  an  honorable 
record  east  and  in  this  city. 

484 


^•z 


CHICAGO  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUSIC. 

4- 

"  N  this  consen-atory  we  find  a  school  whose  career  lies  largely  before 
it,  but  which  is  founded  upon  a  plan  aiming  at  so  high  an  ideal, 
of  whose  attainment  we  have  alreadj^      had      so  convincing  an 

evidence,  that  it  is  entitled  to  a  prominent  place  among  the  musical 
A    institutions  of  the  countrj'.     Mr.  Samuel  Kayzer,  founder  and  director 

of  the  conservatory,  is  a  native  of  Warsaw,  in  Russian  Poland,  bom 
1853.  After  several  years  of  studj^  in  Europe,  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1878, 
and  was  connected  with  the  Hershey  School  of  Musical  Art,  where  he 
became  widely  known  as  a  successful  teacher  of  elocution  and  dramatic  art, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  had  a  large  and  enthusiastic  following  of 
students.  In  1885  he  conceived  the  idea  of  founding  the  Chicago  Con- 
servatory of  Dramatic  and  Musical  Art.  His  ambition  was  to  build  up 
a  conservatory  upon  the  best  European  models,  in  point  of  the  standard 
of  excellence  in  every  department,  and  of  the  advantages  offered  for  the 
development  of  musical  and  dramatic  culture  upon  the  highest  artistic 
plane  —  a  school,  in  short,  that  would  ultimately  rank  with  the  best  in 
the  world  in  these  respects,  and  whose  guiding  instinct  should  be  art,  not 
profit.  He  wisel}'  determined,  measuring  the  boldness  of  his  ambition 
with  the  difficulties  that  stood  in  the  waj'  of  its  achievement,  to  apply  the 
high  standard  with  which  he  had  set  out,  even  to  the  modest  beginning 
to  which  circumstances  restricted  his  undertaking.  At  the  beginning  the 
conservatory  was  strictly  dramatic  in  its  color,  as  might  be  expected  from 
the  field  to  which  Mr.  Kayzer  was  personall}'  more  stronglj'  inclined,  and 
in  which  his  experience  gave  him  greater  reliance.  His  efforts,  however, 
attracted  appreciative  attention.  Discerning  patrons  of  art  had  watched 
his  earnestness,  his  energ}^,  industrj^  and  determination,  and  the  encour- 
agement of  the  press  and  of  prominent  citizens  enabled  him  to  enlarge  the 
sphere  of  his  operations,  and  to  make  a  nearer  and  earlier  approach  to  the 
realization  of  his  ambition  than  he  had  probably  anticipated.  He  was 
soon  enabled  to  widen  the  scope  of  the  conser\-a'tory,  until  it  became  as 
pronouncedlj-  musical  in  its  leading  characteristics  as  theretofore  it  had 
been  in  the  dramatic  feature.  The  professional  department,  whose 
pleasant  monthl}-  entertainments  soon  became  fashionable,  and  which  is 
really  but  the  representative  and  illustration  of  the  larger  departments  of 

4S6 


private  study,  brought  the  excellence  of  the  methods  pursued  into  more 
public  recognition,  and  the  advantages  of  the  conservatory  continued  to 
be  sought  after  by  a  widening  circle  of  art  students.  When  the  great 
Auditorium  building  was  designed  the  ninth  floor  of  this  massive  monu- 
ment of  the  art  of  architecture  was  set  apart  to  the  purposes  of  a  temple 
of  the  sister  art  of  music,  and  here  the  conservatory  found  a  permanent 
home,  which,  for  convenience,  elegance  and  the  perfectness  of  all  its 
appointments  for  the  object  to  which  it  is  devoted,  is  not  excelled  in 
America.  Here  the  director  is  enabled  to  give  an  expanded  scope  to  the 
objects  of  the  institution,  to  accompanj-  which  he  has  secured  the  highest 
talent  available,  both  as  a  means  to  the  results  which  he  desires  to  see 
accompanj^  the  operations  of  the  conservatory,  and  in  order  to  crjstallize 
into  the  permanent  educational  machiner}-  of  this  school  those  high  aims 
which  he  had  always  kept  steadilj'  in  view.  With  such  talent  as  is  now 
at  the  head  of  the  departments,  we  maj"  look  confidently  in  the  near 
future  to  see  the  Chicago  Conservator}'  taking  a  high  rank  in  the  world 
of  music,  and  becoming  the  al))ia  mater  of  many  distinguished  exponents 
of  Ij-ric  drama,  and  of  representatives  of  the  different  branches  of  musical 
activity,  who  shall  do  honor  to  the  art  culture  of  America. 

Wm.  H.  Sherwood. 

At  the  head  of  the  piano  deparment  of  the  Chicago  Conservator}'  stands 
an  artist  who  is  not  only  one  of  America's  most  celebrated  pianists,  but  also 
an  artist  of  recognized  eminence  in  Europe  as  well.  Mr.  Sherwood  is  a 
native  American,  and  was  born  at  Lj'ons,  N.  Y.,  Jan.  31,  1854,  his  father. 
Rev.  L.  H.  Sherwood,  M.  A.,  being  a  cultivated  musician,  and  the  founder 
of  the  Lyons  (N.  Y.)  Musical  Academj'.  In  early  boyhood  he  evinced  a 
remarkable  talent  for  music,  and  received  verj-  careful  training  from  his 
father,  by  which  he  profited  so  well  that  between  the  ages  of  nine  and 
eleven  he  made  frequent  public  appearances  in  New  York,  Pennsylvania 
and  Canada,  attracting  much  attention  both  b}'  the  skillfulness  of  his 
playing  and  the  precocity  of  his  genius.  From  1866  to  187 1  he  was  partly 
occupied  with  teaching  in  his  father's  school,  but  mainly  devoted  to  the 
acquisition  of  a  literarj-  education,  though  designing  music  as  his  perma- 
nent profession.  In  the  latter  year  he  became  the  pupil  of  Dr.  William 
Mason,  at  the  time  holding  a  normal  institute  at  Binghampton,  N.  Y.,  but 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  by  Mr.  Mason's  advice,  he  placed  himself 
under  the  instruction  of  Kullak,  at  Berlin,  also  studying  theorj-  and 
composition  under  the  renowned  theorist  Carl  Friederich  Weitzmann.  So 
rapid  was  his  advance  that  within  seven  months  he  was  one  of  those 
selected  to  play  at  Kullak' s  annual  concert  at  the  Singakademie,  where  he 

4S7 


executed  Chopin's  fantasia  in  F  minor  with  such  skill  as  to  elicit  great 
applause.  Among  others  who  took  part  in  this  event  were  such  pianists 
as  Schanvenka,  Moszkowski  and  Nicode,  who  who  have  since  become 
famous  as  solo  pianists.  Leaving  Berlin  for  a  short  time  to  recruit  his 
health,  he  studied  composition  at  Stuttgart  under  Doppler,  for  several 
months,  returning  to  Berlin  and  continuing  his  studies  under  Kullak  and 
Weitzmann.  The  following  season  he  played  the  great  E  flat  concerto  of 
Beethoven,  accompanied  by  a  large  orchestra,  before  an  audier.cc  of  4,000 
people,  Wuerst,  royal  kapellmeister,  conducting,  with  such  su.cess  that 
at  the  close  of  the  performance  he  was  recalled  eight  times.  This,  in  the 
face  of  the  most  critical  musical  community  of  the  world,  and  of  an 
existing  prejudice  against  American  talent  as  something  less  than 
mediocre,  was  a  triumph  of  which  in  itself  American  art  ma}-  feel  proud. 
His  success  did  not  stop  here  ;  his  talent  forced  recognition  in  the  world 
of  composition.  He  had  at  this  time  (1873)  composed  .several  PF. 
pieces  that  were  favorably  received.  His  Capriccio  (Op.  4)  was  printed 
later  on  by  Breitkopf  &  H artel,  and  Ops.  i,  2  and  3,  printed  by  Behr,  of 
Berlin,  were  used  for  didactic  purposes  by  Theodor  Kullak,  in  his  more 
advanced  classes.  The  following  year  he  devoted  to  the  development  of 
his  technique  and  touch,  and  in  the  fall  was  married  to  Miss  Marj'  Fay,  a 
talented  pianist  of  Williamsburg,  N.  Y. ,  then  studying  under  Kullak  at 
Berlin.  In  February^  1875,  he  studied  counterpoint  and  composition 
under  Richter,  at  Leipzig,  for  some  months,  when  he  went  to  Weimar  on 
the  arrival  of  Liszt  at  that  place.  This  great  master  was  warm  in  his 
appreciation  of  the  j-oung  American,  became  godfather  of  his  first  child, 
and  at  his  last  matinee  of  the  season  had  Sherwood  to  play  two  numbers 
before  a  distinguished  audience.  He  went  to  Hamburg,  where  he  made 
six  successful  appearances,  and  Feb.  18,  1876,  at  the  Singakademie, 
Berlin,  gave  a  concert,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  his  wife,  which  was 
highly  prai.sed  h\  the  German  musical  press.  "  In  this  concert,"  said  an 
eminent  critic,  "Mr.  Sherwood,  a  young  American,  proved  himself  the 
blood  brother  cf  the  Titan  Rubinstein."  He  now  returned  to  America, 
and  played  in  Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  and 
other  cities,  with  great  success,  establishing  a  reputation  as  a  pianist 
which  he  has  ever  since  maintained  and  enhanced.  During  the  Philadel- 
phia Centennial  Exhibition  he  appeared  before  enormous  audiences  at  the 
Academy  of  Music,  and  elicited  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  In  the  autumn 
of  that  year  he  settled  in  Boston,  and  though  for  a  short  time  in  connection 
with  the  New  England  Conservator^-,  has  since  devoted  himself  to  private 
instruction  and  public  appearances.  In  1877  he  gave  two  recitals  at  the 
opening  of  Hershey  Music  Hall,  Chicago,  and  has  since  been  extensively 

4Sa 


before  the  public  and  active  in  musical  life,  especially  in  lectures  and  recitals 
in  connection  with  the  meetings  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Associa- 
tion. As  a  pianist  Mr.  Sherwood  is  noted  for  perfection  of  technique,  power 
and  delicacy  of  expression,  and  thorough  musicianship.  In  composition 
he  is  rather  finished  and  conscientious  than  fertile,  and  though  he  has  not 
burdened  the  printing  presses,  his  productions  are  such  as  to  reflect  credit 
upon  American  art.  The  principal  of  these  are  a  Scherzo  in  E  major,  an 
Id}ll  in  A  minor  ;  Scherzo  Symphonique,  in  G  sharp  minor ;  Allegro 
Pattetico  and  Medea,  with  other  productions.  Aside  from  his  eminent 
abilities  as  a  solo  artist  Mr.  Sherwood  has  rendered  exceptional  services 
to  the  art  of  piano  playing  through  his  labors  in  establishing  a  thoroughly 
scientific  method  of  developing  the  muscles  which  are  employed  in  piano 
playing,  guided  by  his  own  wide  experience,  both  as  plaj-er  and  instructor. 
The  process  he  emploj-s  for  rendering  the  fingers  strong  and  at  the  same 
time  flexible  is  greatly  superior  to  those  which  were  generally  taught, 
even  bj-  the  best  teachers,  at  the  time  when  he  made  his  own  studies,  and 
are  the  outcome  of  deep  reflection  which  was  forced  upon  him  bj-  his  own 
needs  during  the  period  he  was  engaged  in  developing  his  own  technique. 
Chicago  is  certainly  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  acquisition  of  a  concert 
artist  and  instructor  of  such  rare  ability. 

The  faculty  of  tlie  Chicago  Conservatory  in  1889  is  the  following: 
Piano— '^li:.  William  H.  Sherwood,  director;  Mr.  Calvin  B.  Cady,  INIr.  H.  A. 
Kelso,  Jr.,  Miss  Julia  Carruthers.  I'ocal  Music — Mme.  Biro  de  Marion,  Signer  A. 
Jannotta,  Miss  Grace  Hiltz.  Sight  Reading — Mr.  Calvin  B.  Cady,  Miss  Grace  Hiltz. 
Violin — Mr.  A.  Rosenbecker,  Mr.  Richard  Seidel.  I'ioloncello — Mr.  M.  Eichheim. 
Flute— Mr.  OUo  Helms.  Cornet — Mr.  John  Quinn.  Mandolin — Signor  C.  Valisi. 
Ciuitar — Miss  Lulu  Hiltabidel.  Harmony,  Counterpoint,  Composition  and  Orches- 
tration— Mr.  Frederic  Grant  Gleason.  Foreign  Languages — Prof.  Henry  Cohn,  Ger- 
man; Mme.  Tanty,  French;  Signor  G.  Mantellini,  Italian;  Mons.  Gouere,  French 
conversation  and  elocution;  Mr.  Candido  Rosi.  Spanish.  Dramatic  and  Poetic 
Reading — Mr.  Samuel  Kaj-zer.  FJocution,  Delsartc  'llieory  of  Fxpression  and 
Physical  Culture — Miss  Anna  Morgan,  Miss  May  Donnally,  Mr.  Samuel  Kuecht. 


AMERICAN  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUSIC. 

This  excellent  school  of  music,  located  at  Weber  Hall,  in  Chicago, 
was  founded  in  1886  by  Mr.  John  J.  Hattstaedt,  who  became  and 
remains  its  director.  Organized  from  the  first  with  a  staff  of  qualified 
specialists,  mainl}-  Americans,  though  in  many  cases  having  the  advan- 
tage of  foreign  education,  it  sprang  at  once  into  success  and  popularity, 
and  in  its  first  year  enrolled  a  list  of  over  600  pupils,  among  whom  nearly 
every  Western  state  and  territory  was  represented.  By  having  special 
regard  to  American  needs  it  has  since  maintained  and  increased  both  its 
proficiency  and  its  popularity.     It  adopts  the  class  system,  as  bringing  a 


Jv  eJt^itajL^^/f-' 


491 


higher  grade  of^instruction  within  the  reach  of  people  of  moderate 
taeans,  as  well  as  aflfording  the  incentive  of  ambition  to  excel  through  the 
emulation  excited.  Its  course  is  divided  into  preparative,  academic,  col- 
legiate and  normal.  The  academic  course  includes  one  year's  study  of 
harmony  and  musical  historj',  in  connection  with  regular  piano,  organ 
or  violin  lessons.  Graduates  who  attend  and  pass  satisfactory  examina- 
tion in  the  teachers'  training  class  receive  teachers'  certificates.  In  the 
collegiate  class  diplomas  are  awarded  on  examination  by  a  board  of 
examiners.  No  arbitrary  time  is  fixed  as  a  basis  of  graduation,  the  test 
of  proficiency,  being  governed  by  the  previous  preparation  and  capacity 
for  progress  of  the  pupil.  A  normal  course,  at  which  lectures  are  given 
by  the  principal,  W.  S.  B.  Mathews  and  Miss  Amy  Fay,  is  free  to  all 
pupils  of  the  academic  and  collegiate  classes.  The  teaching  staflF  includes 
the  following: 

Piano. — ^John  J.  Hattstaedt,  Frederick  Haines,  Victor  Everham,  Florence  G. 
Castle,  Susie  Kraft,  Ida  M.  Kaehler,  Harrison  M.  Wild,  Gertrude  E.  Hogan,  Annette 
E.  Crocker,  A.  Constance  Locke,  Emelie  Emilsou,  Rae  M.  Hill.  Vocal  Music. — 
Noyes  B.  Miner,  Viola  Frost-Mixer,  Edward  Meek.  Organ. — Harrison  M.  Wild. 
Violiti. — ^Josef  Vilim,  Theodore  Martin,  Maggie  White.  Harmony.  Coiittterpoint, 
Canon  and  Fugue.— Y.  C.  Lutkin.  Composition. — ^John  A.  West.  Violoncello. — Fr. 
Hess.  Flute. — Aug.  Holm.  Zither. — A.  Maurer.  Guitar  and  Banjo. — Mrs.  A.  F.Swan- 
der.  Reading  at  Sight. — H.  S.  Perkins,  Wm.  Sniedley.  Normal  Department. — ^John 
J.  Hattstaedt,  W.  S.  B.  Matthews,  Amy  Fay.  School  of  Oratory.— W.  W.  Carnes. 
Delsarte  System  of  Dramatic  Expression. — Miss  Ella  .Abeel.  Gertnan. — H.  Von 
Beschwitz.  French. — Mme.  Fleury  Robinson  Italian. — Mariano  Nocertno.  Phys- 
iology of  Vocal  Organs. — Dr.  E.  B.  Murdock,  Dr.  J.  B.  S.  King. 

John  J.  Hattstaedt. 
The  founder  and  director  of  this  institution  was  born  at  Monroe,  Mich. , 
in  1 85 1,  and  received  a  sotmd  musical  education,  both  in  Europe  and 
America.  He  entered  upon  a  professional  career  at  Detroit,  Mich.,  subse- 
quently taught  in  St.  Louis,  and  finally  located  in  Chicago,  where  he 
connected  himself  with  the  Chicago  schools  of  music  as  teacher  of  the 
piano  and  lecturer  on  history  and  aesthetics.  In  this  capacitj'  he  labored 
for  several  years,  during  which  he  built  up  an  enviable  reputation  as 
an  accomplished  and  successful  teacher  and  educator.  In  188 1  he  made 
an  extended  trip  to  Europe,  visiting  all  the  principal  consen-atories  in 
order  to  familiarize  himself  with  the  methods  of  instruction  and  manage- 
ment. The  American  Conserv^ator)^  was  the  result  of  his  obser\'ations, 
guided  by  experience  and  his  acquaintance  with  American  needs.  The 
institution  has  done  excellent  work,  and  has,  no  doubt,  a  long  career 
before  it  of  success  and  usefulness  as  a  factor  in  the  promotion  of  musical 
education.  Mr.  Hattstaedt  has  al-so  been  a  contribtitor  of  articles  of 
musical  interest  to  the  Etude,  of  Philadelphia,  and  other  papers,  and  is 
the  compiler  of  an  admirable  Manual  of  Musical  History  used  in  this 
conservatory. 

492 


c:^^<^j^c^ 


493 


THE  CHICAGO  COLLEGE  OF  VOCAL  AND  INSTRUMENTAL 

ART. 

'N  1883  this  educational  institution  was  founded  by  its  present 
director,  Mr.  Albert  E.  Ruff;  since  that  time  it  has  steadily  pro- 
gressed and  grown  in  favor,  and  it  now  has  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion among  the  music  schools  of  the  west.  The  school  is  virtually 
the  outgrowth  of  Mr.  Ruff's  personal  classes  in  vocal  culture,  but  it 
now  comprises  departments  of  instruction  in  all  branches  of  the  art 
of  music,  singing,  piano,  violin,  'cello,  flute,  cornet,  elocution,  harmony, 
composition,  etc.  The  college  is  located  on  the  second  floor  of  Weber 
Music  Hall,  at  the  corner  of  Wabash  avenue  and  Jackson  street.  The 
rooms  have  been  especially  arranged  and  designed  for  the  college,  and 
they  are  both  attractive  and  suitable  for  the  purpose  of  giving  musical 
instruction.  The  location  is  one  of  the  most  central  and  convenient  in 
the  cit}'.  The  promoters  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Vocal  and  Instru- 
.  mental  Art  have  secured  an  able  corps  of  instructors,  and  by  the  adoption 
of  purely  scientific  principles  in  teaching  they  have  established  an  insti- 
tution possessing  excellent  advantages.  Concerts  and  soirees  are  given 
every  two  weeks  bj*  the  college,  in  which  all  pupils  are  expected  to  take 
part,  the  concerts  being  given  in  Weber  Music  Hall.  Another  feature 
peculiar  to  this  school  is  the  "concert  rehearsal"  which  is  designed  for 
young  amateurs  making  their  first  appearance,  by  these  and  other  means 
pupils  of  the  institution  are  given  ever>^  opportunity  for  acquiring  the 
self-possession  and  poise  without  which  musical  ability  is  of  little  practical 
benefit  or  pleasure. 

Among  the  teachers  in  the  faculty,  besides  Mr.  Ruff,  may  be  named 
Mr.  W.  C.  E.  Seeboeck,  Baron  Leon  de  Vay,  Mr.  James  Watson,  Mrs.  A. 
E.  Ruff  and  Mrs.  J.  T.  Clark.  Although  the  school  is  by  no  means  an 
old  one,  its  career  has  been  in  every  way  praiseworthy. 

Albert  E.  Ruff. 

This  gentleman  who  founded  the  Chicago  College  of  Vocal  Music, 

now  in  its  fourth   year,  was  born  in  Gla.sgow,  Scotland,  in   185 1.     He 

entered  upon  musical  study  at  Mannheim,  Germany,  at  the  age  of  eleven, 

devoting  his  earliest  effort  to  the  violin.     Five  years  later  he  joined  the 


Theatre  Royal  orchestra,  of  Glasgow,  retaining  his  connection  for  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  that  time  leaving  to  complete  his  musical  education  at 
the  conservatory  at  Leipzig.  After  four  years  of  conscientious  study 
in  this  distinguished  school,  he  graduated  with  honor.  While  here  he 
had  the  advantage  of  study  of  the  physiology  and  anatomy  of  the  throat, 
under  the  eminent  teacher  and  author  C.  L.  Merkell,  and  was  thus 
enabled  to  lay  the  foundation  of  his  skill  hi  the  specialty  of  voice  culture, 
to  which  he  has  subsequently  been  principally  devoted.  He  has  been 
engaged  with  much  success  in  teaching  in  Chicago  during  the  past 
nine  years,  the  last  four  of  which  have  been  in  connection  with  the 
supervision  of  the  school  mentioned  above.  His  vocal  class  is  a  large  and 
growing  one,  and  the  results  of  Mr.  Ruff's  personal  instruction  have 
assured  him  of  increasing  popularit}-.  Among  the  pupils  prepared  by 
him  is  to  be  mentioned  Eugene  Cowles,  the  Chicago  bank  clerk,  who 
after  three  years'  study,  in  six  months  attained  fame  as  a  principal  basso 
with  the  Bostonians. 

BALATKA'S  ACADEMY  OF  MUSICAL-  ART. 

This  well  known  Chicago  school  of  music  was  founded  in  1879  by  its 
president,  Mr.  Hans  Balatka,  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  music  in  this 
coimtr}'.  By  Mr.  Balatka' s  zeal  and  energy,  and  aided  by  his  already 
established  national  reputation  as  a  musician  and  teacher,  the  academy 
has  made  rapid  progress,  and  it  has  developed  into  an  excellent  school, 
which  is  doing  its  full  share  of  the  good  work  for  the  cause  of  music  in 
America.  The  school,  which  has  entered  upon  its  tenth  year,  now  occu- 
pies an  entire  floor  in  Kimball  hall  building,  at  the  corner  of  State  and 
Jackson  streets,  Chicago.  Its  faculty  is  an  admirable  one,  and  the  several 
departments  of  musical  art  are  presided  over  by  specialists  of  acknowl- 
edged excellence.  Mr.  Hans  Balatka  is  in  charge  of  the  vocal  depart- 
ment. Mr.  Balatka  strictly  follows  the  methods  of  the  old  Italian 
masterSj  and  he  has  been  exceptionally  successful  in  preparing  singers  for 
the  stage  and  the  concert  room.  As  an  assistant  in  this  department  Mr. 
Balatka  has  enlisted  the  services  of  Miss  Lottie  Kaufman,  who  is  favora- 
bly known  as  a  concert  singer. 

The  piano  department  is  in  charge  of  Mr.  Chr.  F.  Balatka,  the 
concert  player,  who  is  assisted  by  Mrs.  M.  McLane,  Mr.  G.  A. 
Joseph,  Misses  Silversparre,  E.  Powell,  J.  Mead,  I.  Hochstadter,  C. 
Wolcott,  A.  Smith  and  Mr.  H.  J.  Jacoby.  Mr.  W.  Moebius,  an  artistic 
violinist,  presides  over  the  violin  department  of  the  academy,  with  the 
co-operation  of  Mr.  Olivier  Chalifoux,  formerly  of  the  Paris  Conservatory. 


Harmon}',  composition,  orchestration,  oratorj^  musical  history  and 
the  usual  special  instrumental  departments  have  their  proper  place  in  the 
academy's  equipment. 

Mr.  Hans  Balatka. 

Mr.  Hans  Balatka  has  been  a  conspicuous  figure  in  American  music 
for  many  years;  but  his  life's  work  has  been  almost  wholly  devoted  to 
music  in  the  west.  In  Chicago  he  is  a  veteran  who  has  for  many  years 
past  been  identified  with  the  local  musical  interests.  Mr.  Balatka  was 
bom  at  Hoffnungsthal,  in  Moravia,  in  March,  1828,  and  he  received  his  gen- 
eral and  musical  education  in  German  colleges.  In  1849  his  family  came 
to  America,  locating  for  a  brief  time  in  New  York.  Coming  west,  young 
Balatka  first  visited  Chicago.  The  city  was  then  far  from  inviting  to  art 
and  artists,  and  the  prospects  for  musical  enterprises  of  an\'  sort  were  not 
brilliant.  Discouraged  with  the  outlook  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Balatka  went 
to  Milwaukee,  where  there  was  quite  a  large  settlement  of  refined  German 
families  who  had  brought  a  .strong  love  for  music  with  them  from  the 
mother  countrj'.  Here  he  accepted  the  directorship  of  the  Milwaukee 
Musical  Society,  and  he  continued  in  charge  of  this  and  other  associations 
until  i860,  when  the  Mozart  Societ)'  was  organized  in  Chicago,  and  he 
was  called  from  Milwaukee  to  direct  a  production  of  Mozart's  Requiem. 
The  performance  was  a  great  success,  and  a  number  of  prominent  Chica- 
goans  induced  him  to  remain  in  this  citj-.  Mr.  Balatka  then  organized 
the  Philharmonic  Society,  which  existed  for  one  year,  and  was  succeeded 
b}'  the  Choral  Society.  He  afterward  assisted  as  musical  director  of  the 
Musical  Union,  the  Oratorio  Society  and  the  Germania  Mannerchor,  con- 
tinuing with  the  last-named  organization  for  six  j^ears.  Afterward  Mr. 
Balatka  conducted  oratorios  and  miscellaneous  concerts  for  several  sea- 
sons, bringing  out  in  Chicago  such  artists  as  Parepa  Rosa  and  Christine 
Nilsson.  He  w^as  conductor  of  no  fewer  than  twelve  great  German 
sangerfests  in  different  cities  of  the  Union,  both  eastern  and  western. 
After  the  great  Chicago  fire  of  187 1,  Mr.  Balatka  went  to  Milwaukee  and 
assumed  the  directorship  of  the  Musical  Society,  which  he  found  still 
flourishing  after  a  period  of  twenty  5-ears.  He  returned  to  Chicago  in 
1876,  and  conducted  the  Liederkranz.  Shortly  afterward  he  was  called 
to  St.  Louis  to  take  charge  of  the  Arion  Club.  In  1878  he  returned 
again  to  Chicago  and  directed  the  Mozart  Club  and  the  Germania  Society. 
In  1879  he  founded  the  academy  that  bears  his  name,  which  has  ever 
since  been  the  principal  scene  of  his  labors.  He  has  done  a  great  deal  of 
good  work  for  musical  art  in  the  west,  and  is  still  vigorous  and  full  of 
usefulness. 

496 


Ocyrv^ 


497 


■^ 


COLLEGE  OF  MUSIC  OF  CINCINNATI. 

^'^^[-IIE  College  of  Music  of  Cincinnati,  which  is  one  of  the  many 
potential  agents  in  the  great  scheme  of  musical  education  for 
the  American  nation,  was  founded  in  1878,  and  first  opened  its 
[^J^  doors  to  students  the  14th  of  October  of  that  year  in  the  great  Mu- 
sic Hall  building.  It  was  the  child  of  OJie  man's  thought,  supple- 
mented by  the  philanthropy  of  another,  and  of  both  it  may  be  said 
that  the  names  of  Col.  George  Ward  Nicholas  and  Reuben  R.  Springer 
will  pass  down  the  waj-  of  historical  remembrance,  .side  bj'  side,  so  closely 
cemented  were  their  individualities  while  living  bj'  the  ties  of  warm 
personal  friendship  and  reciprocal  association  in  a  common  and  most 
unselfish  cause.  Institutions  of  any  .sort  destined  to  achieve  a  living  repu- 
tation have,  primarily,  some  well  defined  foundation  principle  upon  which 
to  rest.  So  it  was  with  the  college.  At  the  moment  of  its  inception  the 
founder  and  first  president  was  the  executive  head  of  the  May  Musical  Fes- 
tival Association.  The  festival  problem  had  engrossed  his  attention  from 
the  very  beginning  in  1873,  and  he  saw  then,  what  others  had  not  been 
convinced  of  more  than  a  decade  later,  that  a  time  would  arrive  when 
public  enthusiasm  would  so  far  lapse  as  to  render  necessary^  the  pursuance 
of  a  plan  for  economical  concentration  of  forces,  both  choral  and  instru- 
mental. That  other  western  cities  would  adopt  the  idea  was  as  patent  to 
his  far-seeing  mind  as  the  inevitable  conclusion  that  consequent  upon  that 
adoption  would  come  a  corresponding  contraction  of  the  circle  of  patron- 
age. Hence  the  advisability  of  making  suitable  provision  for  retrench- 
ment and  the  constant  existence  of  a  musical  ensemble,  fearing  no  rivalry, 
because  without  a  peer.  Cincinnati,  he  felt,  should  be  the  pivot  upon 
which  the  festival  destinies  of  the  country  must  turn.  The  college  was  to 
be  the  radiating  center.  How  far  his  plan  would  have  succeeded  will 
never  be  known,  except  by  inferential  reasoning  upon  the  success  or  failure 
of  an  opposite  policy,  for  his  divorce  from  the  festival  followed,  and  he 
turned  all  his  energy  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  school  for  its  own  sake.  At 
the  first  meeting  of  the  stockholders,  held  the  i6th  of  August,  1878,  Mr. 
Theodore  Thomas  was  invited  to  assume  the  musical  directorship.     The 

498 


"^-JA-^    i/j  O.-^  -C    I^^C  f^L^-K-L^ 


499 


tersely  worded  invitation,  calling  him  to  that  position,  summarized  the 
scheme,  thus: 

' '  It  is  proposed  to  establish  an  institution  for  musical  education  upon 
the  scale  of  the  most  important  of  those  of  similar  character  in  Europe;  to 
employ  the  highest  class  of  professors;  to  organize  a  full  orchestra  with  a 
school  for  orchestra  and  chorus,  and  to  give  concerts." 

Mr.  Springer,  whose  unexampled  generosity  had  made  the  building 
of  Music  Hall  possible,  was  one  of  the  original  stockholders  in  the  college, 
and  the  first  indication  that  it  had  roused  more  than  ordinary  interest  in 
him  was  made  apparent  June  23,  1879,  when  the  president  received  a  letter 
containing  his  first  bequest:  "  I  have  been  strongly  impressed  with  the 
remarkable  progress  made  by  the  pupils  of  A-oiir  college  in  the  short  period 
that  has  elapsed  since  its  opening  on  the  14th  day  of  October  last,  as 
manifested  in  the  examinations  now  in  progress,  as  well  as  in  the  obser\-a- 
tions  of  those  who  have  interested  themselves  in  what  was  doing  in  the 
daily  work  of  the  college,  and  have  thought  that  much  good  would  result 
from  inaugurating  a  permanent  sj'stem  of  rewards  to  be  given  to  pupils 
of  the  college,  who  by  superior  industr}^  and  talent  attain  the  greatest 
proficiency  in  their  respective  classes.  I  have,  therefore,  concluded  to  give 
$5,000  to  the  college  as  a  permanent  fund,  the  interest  onl}'  of  which  to  be 
used  in  providing  gold  medals  or  other  rewards  for  superior  merit  in 
musical  studies,  to  be  given  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be 
adopted  by  the  board  of  directors  and  the  musical  director  of  the  college. ' ' 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Springer's  connection  with  the 
college,  but  there  was  much  more  to  follow,  for  every  j-ear  made  it  plain 
that  its  interests  were  very  close  to  his  heart,  and  this  history 
contains  an  important  suggestion  to  art  lovers,  and  philanthropists 
through  the  country.  It  is  not  too  nmch  to  say  that  bj-  following  out 
the  sj-stem  of  procedure  inaugurated  and  successfully  conducted  at  his 
suggestion,  everj'  city  of  first  or  even  second  class  position  in  this  country- 
can  have  a  school  of  musical  education ;  one  that,  in  each  instance,  shall 
be  self-sustaining  and  productive  of  incalculable  benefit  to  a  cause  in 
which  Americans,  as  a  nation,  are  showing  such  prodigious  interest,  a 
school  accessible  to  every  talented  student  at  a  minimum  of  expense,  and 
an  art  centre  radiating  musical  inspiration  to  a  surrounding  population 
for  whom  a  national  school  would  be  nothing  more  than  an  empt}'  name. 

For  nearly  three  years  the  college  continued  in  Music  Hall,  where  its 
progress  was  annually  disturbed  by  the  expositions.  Then  a  lot  was  pur- 
chased on  Plum  street,  south  of  the  exposition  pile,  while  Mr.  Springer 
advanced  $15,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building.  The  college 
paid  the  remaining  $3,000,  and  the  lot  was  acquired  with  the  money 

500 


C^o^c^t-y?^ 


r 


501 


realized  from  the  stock  that  was  fully  paid  up  in  order  to  clear  the  way 
for  an  event  that  we  must  hasten  to  describe. 

Having  already  done  so  much,  more  was  not  expected,  and  hence  it 
was  with  mingled  emotions  that  the  people  received  announcement  of  his 
intention  to  endow  the  college,  making  it  eleemosynary  in  character.  This, 
as  was  his  custom,  took  the  shape  of  a  letter  to  the  board  of  directors, 
fully  outlining  his  design,  which  was  read  at  a  meeting  held  the  25th  of 
November,  1882: 

' '  Feeling  strongly  interested  in  the  success  of  the  College  of  Music  of 
Cincinnati  and  encouraged  by  its  progress  in  comparative  infanc}^  I  am 
desirous  to  do  something  additional  toward  making  its  future  more  secure 
and  permanent,  and  for  this  purpose  will  give  to  it  an  endowment  of 
four  thousand  two  hundred  dollars  per  annum  in  the  stock  of  the 
Pittsburgh,  Fort  Waj-ne  &  Chicago  Railway  Company,  say  $60,000  par 
value.  This  road  is  under  lease  to  the  Pennsj^vania  Railroad  Company 
for  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  years,  and  I  know  of  no  investment  in 
our  country  combining  so  many  elements  of  strength  and  permanency, 
both  at  present  and  in  the  far  future  as  this  property.  I  will  make  this 
donation    on  the  following  terms  and  conditions: 

First.  The  stockholders  must  relinquish  all  claims  to  any  dividends 
or  profits  on  their  stock  for  all  time  to  come,  which  can  be  arranged  by 
an  indorsement  on  their  certificates,  or  by  a  new  one,  as  may  be  judged 
necessary  to  legalize  the  agreement. 

Second.  All  income  or  profits  realized  from  the  business  of  the  col- 
lege to  be  used  exclusivel}'  in  extending  its  usefulness  and  perfecting  its 
teachings.  This  action  of  the  stockholders  is  made  necessar}'  by  our  laws, 
which  forbid  any  perpetual  endowment  or  endowment  for  more  than  a 
limited  number  of  years,  except  for  educational  or  charitable  purposes, 
and  this  relinquishment  b}-  the  stockholders  of  all  gains  or  profits  on  their 
part  will  bring  it  under  the  law  as  an  educational  or  charitable  institution, 
and  enable  it  to  hold  its  endowment  or  similar  ones  in  conformity  with 
law. 

Third.  The  certificate  or  certificates  of  this  $60,000  of  stock  not  to 
be  transferred  or  transferable,  and  the  income  from  it  only  to  be  used. 

Fourth.  In  the  event  of  the  failure  or  bankruptcy  of  said  college 
(which  I  do  not  apprehend,  and  hope  may  never  occur),  then,  and  in  that 
event,  this  endowment  of  $60,000  shall  pass  to  and  become  the  property 
of  the  St.  Joseph  Orphan  Asylum,  in  Cumminsville,  Cincinnati  for  the 
support  of  male  and  female  orphans  in  that  institution. 

Fifth.  So  soon  as  the  stockholders  have  agreed  to  and  executed  the 
above-mentioned  relinquishment,  and  other  necessary  things  have  been 

502 


/^^-    /Q^^uL     ^<^i^ 


S«>3 


carried  out,  I  will  convey  the  $60,000  of  stock  to  the  college  on  the  con- 
ditions set  forth  herein.  R.   R.  Springer. 
Cincinnati,  Nov.  20,  1882. 

This  proposition  was  at  once  accepted,  and  by  his  will  an  addition  of 
four  hundred  shares  of  the  same  stock  was  made  to  the  original  endow- 
ment, making  one  thousand  shares  in  all,  from  which  the  college  annually 
realizes  $7,000..  In  the  new  disposition  of  the  stock  it  was  likewise 
arranged  that  upon  the  death  of  the  holder  of  any  share,  his  certificate 
should  revert  to  and  become  the  property  of  the  college,  to  be  voted  to 
any  one  whom  the  trustees  might  elect.  No  stockholder  can  own  more 
than  one  share. 

Meanwhile  the  college  was  steadily  advancing  toward  perfection  in 
its  educational  departments,  and  was  making  history  with  the  annually 
occurring  opera  festivals,  which  were  in  line  with  President  Nichols'  fond 
notion  of  creating  an  operatic  school  that  should  rival  those  of  Europe  in 
the  possession  of  practical  facilities  for  the  work.  As  the  volume  of 
business  increased,  still  larger  accommodations  were  rendered  imperative. 
Discussion  of  this  question  led  to  the  building  of  the  Odeon,  or  College 
Theatre,  which  work  was  begun  April  18,  1884,  and  completed  in  the 
following  October,  the  dedicatory  concert  being  held  Tuesda}'  evening, 
the  28th.  This  structure,  which  connects  directly  with  the  offices  of  the 
college,  contains  eighteen  teaching  rooms  in  addition  to  a  completely 
appointed  theatre,  seating  eleven  hundred  people.  Toward  the  expense 
here  incurred,  Mr.  Springer  gave  $55,000,  or  within  $16,000  of  the  total 
cost,  and  $2,500  for  the  organ  concealed  upon  the  stage,  the  manuals 
alone  being  observable  in  the  orchestra.  In  all,  he  gave  to  the  college 
fully  $200,000,  and,  thanks  to  his  generosity,  it  is  perhaps  the  only  school 
of  music  in  this  country  to-day  which  cannot  accumulate  profit  of  any 
sort  except  that  arising  from  the  consciousness  of  benefits  conferred. 
The  surplus  at  the  end  of  each  year  is  devoted  to  enlarging  facilities,  to 
assisting  deserving  pupils,  or  the  establishment  of  scholarships.  A 
smaller  lecture  and  concert  hall  being  found  desirable,  the  Lyceum  was 
projected  and  built  during  the  summer  of  1889.  It  is  a  most  artistic 
addition  to  the  college  property,  seating  four  hundred  people,  and  con- 
taining an  organ  that  cost  $5,000. 

The  system  of  instruction  is  comprehensive  and  complete,  and  every 
commendable  feature  of  the  old  world  conser\-atories  here  finds  embodi- 
ment. Chorus,  sight  reading,  prima  vista  and  ensemble  classes  and 
orchestra  class,  and  classes  in  the  historj'  and  theory  of  music,  take  up  a 
proportion  of  the  time  of  teachers  who  are  chosen  according  to  fitness  for 
such   special  work.     These  are  free  to  the  student,   and  attendance  is 

504 


I,.    MATTIOLI. 


505 


ALBINO   C.OMO. 


obligatory,  with  no  excuse  for  failure,  except  sickness.  To  offer  such  a 
volume  of  instruction  as  is  here  contemplated  without  additional  expendi- 
ture, is  only  possible  with  an  institution  equally  free  from  financial 
anxiet\-.  Should  a  moment  arrive  when  any  class  or  department  can 
be  dispensed  with,  that  moment  will  witness  a  reduction  in  the  price 
of  tuition.  As  it  is  now,  the  tuition  is  so  graduated  as  to  meet  the  cost 
of  instruction  and  no  more,  the  income  from  the  endowment  being  devoted 
to  the  liquidation  of  all  other  obligations.  Deser\'ing  pupils  are  helped 
in  numberless  ways.  In  the  matter  of  instruction  in  any  of  the  special 
branches,  the  individual  plan  has  alwa3-s  prevailed  in  contradistinction  to 
the  class  method  that  boasts  many  reputable  supporters.  The  number 
of  students  might  have  been  trebled,  had  not  this  rule  been  insisted  upon, 
but  no  argument  has  been  found  of  suflBcient  weight  to  throw  the  scale  in 
favor  of  quantity  rather  than  qualitj'.  Better  six  hundred,  thoroughly 
equipped,  than  a  thousand  of  doubtful  attainments,  and  with  a  school 
whose  aim  it  is  to  turn  out  competent  teachers  and  musicians,  the  principle 
cannot  be  too  warmly  commended.  The  spirit  of  emulation  that  the  class 
association  is  said  to  arouse  is  awakened  in  the  college  by  the  frequent 
private  and  public  recitals,  special  examination  concerts  and  contests 
before  the  board  of  examiners,  who,  in  the  case  of  scholarship  applications 
which  are  decided  by  competitive  examination,  admit  to,  and  in  all 
instances,  graduate  from  the  institution.  No  time  limit  is  placed  in  the 
student's  way  to  graduation.  But  the  things  needful  must  be  thoroughly 
mastered  in  the  time  required,  two  years  or  ten,  before  a  diploma  will  be 
granted.  The  college  is  governed  by  a  board  of  fifteen  trustees,  the 
president  of  which  board  is  president  and  chief  executive  authoritj^  of  the 
college.  The  trustees  are  chosen  for  five  years,  on  the  senatorial  plan, 
and  after  each  annual  election  by  the  stockholders  choose  their  president. 
In  the  twelve  years  of  its  history  but  two  men  have  held  the  office  —  Col. 
George  Ward  Nichols,  who  died  Sept.  13,  1885,  and  Mr.  Peter  Rudolph 
Neff".     The  board  of  instruction  at  present  is  the  following: 

Piayio—Krmm  W.  Doerner,  Thos.  W.  Phillips,  W.  S.  Sterline,  Otto  Singer, 
Benj.  Guckenberger,  E.  W.  Glover,  Albino  Gorno,  Chas.  A.  Graninger,  \V.  W.  Ken- 
nett,  Mrs.  Chapman  Johnson.  Voice — B.  W.  Foley,  Tecla  Vigiia,  Lino  Maitioli, 
Jennie  Maier,  W.  S.  Sterling,  Mrs.  M.  G.  Guckenberger.  Organ — W.  S.  vSterliug, 
Lillian  Arkell.  Theory  and  Normal  Class — ^John  A.  Broekhoven,  Otto  Singer,  W. 
S.  Sterling.  I'io/m — ^John  A.  Broekhoven,  H.  C.  Froelich,  Cha<.  Horst.  Violoncello — 
Lino  Mattioli.  Bass  Viol — Fr.  Storch.  Flute — Theodore  Hahn.  French  Horn — 
A.  Schrickel.  Trombone — Louis  Brand.  Cornet — H.  Bellstedt,  Jr.  Oboe — 
Wm.  Ross.  Clarionet — Carl  Schuett.  Bassoon — H.  Woest.  Chorus  Classes, 
Choral  and  Oratorio  Department — B.  W.  Foley.  W.  S.  Sterling.  Fnsemble 
Classes,  Prima  Vista  Classes  and  Orchestral  Department — H.  C.  Froehlich, 
Lino  Mattioli,  Otto  Singer,  John  A.  Broekhoven.  //arp — ^Josephine  Holbrook. 
School  for  the  Opera — I'>ramatic  Fxprcssion — Albino  Gorno,  Tecla  Vigna. 
Italian  Language — C.  V.  Moulinier.      Lectures  on   the  History   and  Esthetics  of. 

506 


Miss  Clara  Bauer 


507 


Music— ]ohn  S.  Van  Cleve,  Otto  Singer.  Orcheslralion— Score  Reading— Otto 
Singer.     /i»g/isA  Li/eradtre— John  S.  Van  C\e\e.     /t/oattion—VirgW  A.  Pinkley. 

The  board  of  tru-tees  of  the  college  has  appointed  a  board  of  examiners  from 
the  faculty  of  the  college.  The  duties  of  this  board  are  to  prepare  a  standard  for 
admission  of  students  to  the  academic  school  and  make  examinations.  They  also 
examine  and  pass  upon  the  qualifications  of  candidates  for  certificates,  for  diplomas 
of  graduation,  and  for  free  scholarships. 

Jioard  of  Examiners — B.  W.  Foley,  Armin  W.  Doemer,  SignorinaTecla  Vigna, 
John  A.  Broekhoven,  Chas.  A.  Graninger,  C.  P.  Moulinier,  Virgil  A.  Pinkley,  Otto 
Singer,  Lino  Mattioli,  W.  S.  Sterling,  Albino  Gorno. 

The  Cincinnati  Conservatory  of  Music 

Was  founded  in  1867,  among  the  earliest  institutions  of  the  kind,  by  Miss 
Clara  Baur,  the  present  directress.  The  first  school  of  music,  organized 
on  the  co-operative  plan,  grew  b}-  slow  but  sure  degrees,  and  gradually 
overcame  opposition  and  those  prejudices  which  always  beset  a  new 
departure,  .so  that,  in  a  great  measure.  Miss  Baur  paved  the  waj-  for  the 
various  schools  since  established.  Its  method  in  vocal  art  is  that  of  the 
old  Italians,  who  made  the  eighteenth  century  the  golden  epoch  of  vocal- 
ization, though  no  bigoted  conservatism  has  been  indulged  in,  bitt  all 
needed  additions  made  which  the  new  forms  of  vocal  composition  require. 
The  vocal  numbers  on  the  many  programmes  of  the  conservatory  show  a 
wide-minded  and  genuinelj-  artistic  catholicity,  ver}'  praiseworth3'  in 
these  days  of  bitter  partisanship,  when  the  Wagnerians  deride  everj' 
other  school,  whether  Italian,  English  or  French,  while  the  advocates  of 
the  cantalena  return  the  vituperation  in  full  measure.  The  best  products 
of  Italian  genius  are  used  side  b}*  side  with  the  immortal  blossoms  of  Ger- 
man lyric  art.  The  teaching  of  Miss  Baur  is  characterized  by  minute 
and  indefatigable  patience,  and  the  clear  stamp  of  individitalism  is  patent 
the  singing  of  all  whom  she  trains. 

The  pianoforte  work  of  the  school  is  founded  upon  the  system  of  the 
famous  Stuttgart  conservator}^  and  is  as  distinct  and  consistent  as  that  of 
the  voice.  The  leading  professors  in  the  pianoforte  department  are  George 
Magrath  and  F.  Shailer  Evans.  Mr.  Magrath,  after  winning  as  a  boy 
the  warm  praise  of  Rubinstein,  was  sent  by  his  father,  a  New  York  musi- 
cian, to  Stuttgart  where,  tinder  the  celebrated  Lehbert  he  attained  so  high 
a  degree  of  skill  that  he  spent  several  years  of  successful  concertizing  in 
Europe,  staying  there  six  years  before  his  return.  He  came  to  Cincinnati 
in  January,  1883,  and  at  once  was  accorded  a  high  rank  both  by  the  pub- 
lic and  the  foremost  critics.  He  has  given  a  long  series  of  recitals  and 
chamber  concerts,  and  has  also  succeeded  eminent!}'  in  the  work  of  a 
teacher.  Here  he  has  displayed  tact,  patience  and  cleverness  of  a  high  order, 
and  is  admitted  to  be  one  of  the  foremost  teachers  in  the  city.  His 
coadjutor,  Mr.  F.  S.  Evans,  though  a  new-comer,  has  already  won  golden 

508 


33       h\    S     EVANS. 


509 


L.    ERGHOTT. 


opinions,  both  as  pianist  and  teacher.      He  is  also  a  New  Yorker  and 
was  four  years  in  Europe  under  Jaddassohn  and  Reinecke. 

That  twin  sister  of  the  human  voice,  the  violin,  is  taught  by  a  con- 
scientious and  capable  artist,  Mr.  Jacob  Bloom.  He  holds  a  good  rank 
as  a  local  performer,  frequently  appearing  in  symphony  and  chamber  con- 
certs, and  the  pupils  whom  he  has  produced  bear  the  impress  of  intelli- 
gent training.  These  professors  are  assisted  by  a  carefully  chosen  corps  of 
talented  teachers.  Elocution  and  modern  languages,  as  close  relatives  of 
music,  are  included,  the  system  of  elocution  being  that  of  the  celebrated 
James  E.  Murdock.  A  good  feature  of  the  school  is  its  boarding  depart- 
ment which  is  excellent.  The  conservatory  has  graduated  many  pupils 
who  have  since  become  noted  in  the  musical  world,  and  the  value  of 
its  teaching  has  became  remarked  in  terms  of  high  praise  by  Anton 
Rubinstein,  Tietjens,  Marie  Roze  and  others.  The  rapid  growth  of  the 
institution  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  its  new  home  on  Fourth  and  Lawrence 
streets,  only  recently  completed,  will  have  to  be  again  enlarged. 

Henry  George  Andres 

Was  born  of  a  musical  family  at  Nancy,  France,  in  1838.  His  father,  a 
fine  musician,  began  giving  the  child  lessons  on  the  piano  at  a  very  early 
age.  Thi3  home  instruction  was  excellent,  and  young  Andres  was  trained 
in  accordance  with  the  highest  and  purest  standard  of  artistic  taste.  At 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  Paris  to  finish  his  musical  education. 
He  remained  there  for  seven  years,  undergoing  a  severe  course  of  musical 
training.  On  returning  to  his  native  town  he  commenced  work  as  a 
teacher  and  continued  in  that  occupation  until  i860,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States.  It  was  at  first  intended  only  as  a  business  visit,  but, 
making  friends  in  Cincinnati,  he  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  that  city. 
He  began  to  hold  a  series  of  soirees  or  small  concerts  for  the  purpose  of 
introducing  high-class  music.  These  were  in  imitation  of  the  German 
Kammer  concerts,  and  they  found  high  favor  among  the  musical  people 
of  the  city.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Andres  was  teaching  a  few  private 
pupils,  and  before  very  long,  so  successful  were  his  methods  and  so  popular 
were  the  concerts,  that  he  had  his  hands  full.  He  has  been  the  means  of 
elevating  in  no  .slight  degree  the  mu.sical  taste  in  Cincinnati.  Since  the 
establishment  of  the  conservatory  of  music  in  that  city  Mr.  Andres  has  been 
director  of  its  piano  department.  He  is  also  a  composer,  though  few  of  his 
works  have  .seen  the  light.  In  1889,  in  company  with  Arrain  W.  Doerner,  of 
the  College  of  Music,  Mr.  Andres  made  a  concert  tour  of  the  country, 
playing  programmes  in  which  pianoforte  duos  were  the  main  feature. 
They  have  also  appeared  together  before  various  associations  of  teachers. 

510 


CINCINNATI  WESLEYAN  COLLEGE. 

fci^^f  HIS  historic  institution  for  the  higher  education  of  women  was 
S'K^l.  foi^^^ded  in  1845,  its  charter  being  the  first  in  the  world  for 
W^  granting  diplomas  to  women.  The  alumnae  of  the  Cincinnati 
"^  Wesleyan  College  form  the  oldest  association  of  its  kind,  not  only  in 
the  United  States,  but  in  the  world.  There  are  at  present  665  mem- 
bers scattered  through  all  the  states  and  territories  and  acting  as  an 
elevating  power  in  the  community,  efficient  laborers  in  every  field  open  to 
woman.  The  grounds  of  the  college  are  very  spacious  and  attractive,  and 
the  building  is  one  of  tie  most  perfect  and  commodious  college  edifices  in 
the  west.  It  is  172  feet  in  front  by  sixty  deep,  and  has  a  rear  portion 
40x30  feet.  The  building  stands  on  an  elevation,  twentj'-five  feet  from 
the  avenue,  and  is  a  most  imposing  structure  of  the  Gothic  and  Corinthian 
stjdes.  There  are  two  entrances  from  the  front,  and  three  stairways. 
There  are  eightj'-seven  rooms  in  the  building.  The  value  of  the  property 
is  placed  at  about  $250,000.  The  purpose  of  the  college  is  to  give  a 
collegiate  education,  combining  all  the  elements  of  culture  desirable  in 
woman.  The  curriculum  is  divided  into  the  classic  course  and  the  scien- 
tific department.  Applicants  for  admission  to  the  college  are  required  to 
be  at  least  fourteen  years  of  age,  in  good  health,  and  of  average  moral 
and  intellectual  development,  j'ounger  pupils  being  admitted  to  a  pre- 
paratory school. 

An  important  branch  of  the  Wesleyan  College  is  the  College  of 
Music,  which  has  ever  commanded  a  large  and  competent  facult}',  whose 
labors  have  been  attended  by  the  best  results,  theoretically,  practically 
and  artistically.  The  department  is  at  present  under  the  efficient  director- 
ship of  Mr.  Waugh  Lauder,  whose  biograph}'  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  history.  Pupils  who  are  given  a  diploma  b}-  this  musical  department 
are  required  to  take  the  full  prescribed  course  in  theory,  harmony,  the 
history  of  music  and  choral  singing,  passing  the  examination  with  eighty 
per  cent  value  6f  marks,  and  a  full  course  in  one  of  the  following:  Piano, 
singing,  organ  or  violin.  The  college  has  had  a  long  but  uneventful  and 
unostentatious  career  of  usefulness.  Under  Mr.  Lauder's  efficient  direction 
added  value  will  doubtless  be  given  to  the  musical  department. 

511 


Mk.  W.  Waugh  Lauder. 

A  musician  of  varied  gifts  and  diversified  experience  is  Mr.  W. 
Waugh  Lauder,  who  is  a  piano  virtuoso  of  exceptional  attainments,  as 
well  as  a  man  of  broad  intellectualitj'.  Mr.  Lauder  is  a  university  grad- 
uate and  an  accredited  pupil  of  Liszt.  It  is  to  him  is  due  the  credit 
of  having  first  introduced  in  this  country  the  form  of  musical  entertain- 
ment called  "the  lecture  recital,"  which  is  a  factor  in  musical  education 
that  many  have  found  valuable.  Mr.  Lauder  gave  these  lecture  recitals 
privately  in  1868,  and  publicly  in  1870.  In  1882  the  late  Abbe  Liszt  wrote 
Mr.  Lauder  a  letter  of  congratulation  upon  his  success  in  this  field.  On 
the  occasion  of  the  death  of  Richard  Wagner,  Mr.  Lauder  gave  at 
Toronto  University  a  memorial  recital,  afterward  receiving  a  cablegram 
of  thanks  from  Mme.  Wagner.  Mr.  Lauder  has  done  much  toward 
making  classical  music  popular  in  Canada,  and  in  various  fields,  as  an 
instructor,  he  has  raised  the  standard  of  musical  education  in  schools  and 
colleges.  In  the  province  of  Ontario  alone,  Mr.  Lauder  has  given  no 
fewer  than  350  recitals,  with  programmes  of  the  highest  grade.  He  has 
ever  been  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  American  music,  and  he  has  cham- 
pioned the  American  composer  in  every  possible  way,  by  playing  his 
works  and  b}-  the  introduction  of  American  compositions  whenever  oppor- 
tunity offered.  Among  the  colleges  where  Mr.  Lauder  has  taught  may 
be  named  institutions  at  Bloomington,  El  Paso,  Pekin  and  other  towns  in 
central  Illinois;  at  Middletown,  Germantown  and  Walnut  Hills  semi- 
naries, and  at  present  at  the  Wesleyan  College,  Cincinnati,  where  he  is  to 
remain  until  1893. 

Upon  all  subjects  cognate  to  musical  art,  Mr.  Lauder  has  written  in 
a  scholarly  manner.  Among  his  principal  essays  have  been  those  upon 
The  Music  of  the  First  Christian  Era,  Art  Life  in  Leipzig,  Facts  about 
Ancient  Theory,  The  Development  of  Sacred  Music,  A  Critical  Sketch  of 
American  Music,  A  Year  of  Study  with  Liszt  at  Weimar,  and  much 
valuable  work  in  the  line  of  criticism  and  correspondence.  Mr.  Lauder 
has  read  essays  before  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  the  Cana- 
dian Societ}'  of  Musicians,  and  other  important  musical  bodies.  In  all  the 
leading  cities  of  the  Union  he  has  appeared  as  a  pianist,  and  has  won 
glowing  tributes  from  critics  and  audiences.  In  1888  he  was  invited  to 
give  four  recitals  before  the  faculty  and  the  pupils  of  the  New  England 
Conser\'atory  at  Boston,  and  in  these  he  brought  out  some  magnificent 
programmes  of  great  works,  including  Liszt's /?£>«  Giovanyii  fantastic,  the 
great  B  minor  sonata  and  the  concerto  in  A.  That  Mr.  Lauder  is  a 
really  thorough  musician  is  attested  by  the  fact  that  he  gave  the  first 
genuinely  scientific  lectures  on  music  heard  in  Canada,  his  subjects  being, 

512 


513 


The  Structure  of  Musical  Instruments,  The  Sonata  Form  and  Wagner' s 
Music  Dra7)ias,  all  with  recitals.  The  energetic  president  of  the  Wesleyan 
College  at  Cincinnati,  Dr.  J.  H.  Brown,  has  secured  Mr.  Lauder's  services 
for  three  years,  and  he  will  likewise  devote  his  abilities  to  the  Ohio 
College  of  Music.  In  these  labors  he  will  be  assisted  by  Mrs.  Lauder 
and  six  other  aids.  Though  he  has  accomplished  so  much,  Mr.  Lauder 
is  but  thirty -one  years  of  age.  He  is  a  native  of  Oshawa,  Ont. ,  in  which 
place  his  father  was  superintendent  of  public  schools  and  a  member  of 
parliament.  When  verj-  young  he  became  interested  in  music,  and  he 
joined  the  choir  of  the  Metropolitan  church  of  Toronto,  also  acting  as 
pianist  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of  that  city.  He  has  made  three 
visits  to  Europe,  and  in  1878  he  entered  the  Leipzig  Conservator^',  where 
he  remained  four  years.  He  played  at  the  celebrated  Gewandhaus  con- 
certs, and  was  accounted  one  of  the  best  executants  of  the  conservatory. 
He  studied  theory  with  Dr.  Oscar  Paul,  the  author  of  the  History  of  the 
Piano,  Boetius'  Five  Books  on  Music,  The  Musical  System  of  the  Greeks, 
Dictionary  of  Music,  and  harmony  with  the  celebrated  cantor,  E.  F. 
Richter.  From  Leipzig  he  went  with  letters  from  his  teachers  to  Lisztj  in 
Weimar,  where  he  spent  the  summers  of  1879  and  188 1,  and  was  selected 
by  Hans  von  Bulow  to  accompany  him,  together  with  Arthur  Friedheim, 
Carl  Pohlig  and  Alfred  Reissenhauer,  to  Rome,  where  he  studied  in  the 
Villa  d'Este  with  Liszt,  during  the  winter  of  1880,  on  one  occasion  play- 
ing Liszt's  great  A  major  concert  with  the  "  Meister's"  personal  accom- 
paniment in  the  villa  of  Mme.  Helbig  on  the  Capitoline  Hill,  Rome.  At 
the  banquet  given  by  the  Liszt  pupils  in  Rome,  on  Oct.  23,  to  commem- 
orate the  peculiar  coincidence  of  the  triple  birthdaj^  of  Liszt,  Oct.  22, 
Friedheim,  Oct.  23,  Lauder,  Oct.  24,  the  master  presented  his  pupils  with 
beautiful  medallions  of  himself,  by  H.  Wittig,  sculptor,  in  gold  and 
bronze.  During  his  sojourn  in  Europe,  Mr.  Lauder  had  the  dis- 
tinction conferred  upon  him  of  performing  before  the  royal  families  of 
Saxony  and  Italy,  the  Holy  Father  at  the  Vatican,  the  grand  duke  of 
Weimar,  and  in  the  great  concerts  of  Leipzig  and  Rome,  Frankfort  and 
other  cities.  Mr.  Lauder,  while  in  Venice,  had  the  honor  of  playing  to 
Richard  Wagner  arrangements  of  hi^  operas  by  Liszt,  Rubinstein,  Brassin, 
Tausig,  Jaell  and  Bulow. 

Mr.  Lauder  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  American  musicians. 
To  rare  erudition  and  sound  scholarship  he  unites  a  technical  facilitj'  as  a 
pianist  which  is  electrifying.  That  he  has  not  a  world-wide  reputation 
as  a  concert  performer  can  onh'  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  so  much 
of  his  time  has  been  given  up  to  the  work  of  a  lecturer  and  instructor  — 
work  which  Mr.  Lauder  enjoys  and  finds  congenial. 


5M 


OBERLIN  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUvSIC. 

^HE  musical  life  at  Oberlin,  as  was  true,  indeed,  of  the  origin  of 
modern  music,  had  its  beginning  in  a  religious  want.  The 
earnest  people  who  founded  a  college  in  the  woods  must  needs 
utter  their  emotions  in  song.  The  idea  which  founded  Oberlin  was 
the  training  of  Christian  workers,  and  Christian  workers  must  know 
how  to  sing.  Hence  free  instruction  in  choral  .singing  was  provided 
almost  from  the  start.  This  of  course  was  music  in  a  verj^  modest  way. 
After  a  time  a  professor  of  music  was  installed  in  the  person  of  G.  N. 
Allen,  a  young  man  of  fine  taste,  who  had  been  a  pupil  of  Lowell  Mason. 
His  influence  made  decidedly  in  favor  of  a  musical  progress  ;  and  though 
the  college  provided  no  instrumental  instructions,  the  piano  began  in  his 
day  to  be  cultivated  in  the  colonj^  doubtless  in  the  face  of  some  little 
prejudice.  There  were,  moreover,  certain  special  circumstances  in  the 
situation,  which  furthered  any  effort  toward  improvemenf  in  the  art, 
especially  in  sacred  music.  The  worshippers  of  the  place  all  gathered  in 
one  large  assembly,  and  the  presence  of  numerous  intelligent  young 
people  of  both  sexes  in  the  institution,  furnished  material  for  a  large  choir. 
But  it  is  hardly  possible  for  a  large  choir  in  a  large  church  to  be  long 
content  merely  with  singing  a  little  better  and  louder,  what  ever>-body 
can  smg.  Both  they  and  the  audience  demand  something  in  keeping 
with  the  dignity  of  the  occasion  and  with  the  means  in  command.  The 
large  church  and  large  choir,  moreover,  soon  called  for  a  large  organ,  and 
one  which  was  something  of  a  wonder  in  that  day  and  locality,  presently 
made  its  appearance.  The  further  circumstance  must  be  mentioned  that 
several  leaders  of  opinion  in  the  community,  including  President  Finney, 
were  men  of  considerable  musical  feeling.  The  musical  influences  of  the 
place  before  long  became  strong  enough  to  prompt  susceptible  young  men 
to  the  choice  of  music  as  a  profession.  In  1865  the  woods  had  been 
cleared,  the  war  was  over,  and  the  countrj-  was  becoming  sensible  of  its 
finer  wants.  It  had  become  necessary  for  the  young  ladies  at  least  to 
know  the  piano,  and  the  churches  needed  singers,  and  organists.     Oherlin 

516 


was  musically  disposed  ;  there  mas  a  large  mass  of  young  women  as  well 
as  young  men  in  attendance  upon  the  college  ;  hence  it  was  an  entirely 
natural  place  to  establish  a  conservatory.  Such  an  enterprise  was  under- 
taken by  two  sons  of  the  place,  Mr.  J.  P.  Morgan  and  Mr.  G.  W.  Steele, 
both  of  whom  had  supplemented  their  Oberlin  beginnings  with  German 
advantages.  At  first  the  school  of  music  had  no  organic  connection  with 
the  college,  though  in  relations  of  reciprocity  with  it.  But  the  relations 
between  the  two  were  found  to  be  necessarily  so  intimate,  that  in  1867 
the  conservatory  became  a  department  of  the  institution,  though  under 
the  condition  that  it  should  be  financially  independent.  This  is  perhaps 
the  first,  at  any  rate  a  typical  instance,  of  a  conservatory  becoming  an 
organic  part  of  a  college.  This  result  was  reached  just  as  coeducation 
came  into  practice  at  Oberlin  and  throughout  the  west,  not  as  the  product 
of  anyone's  theories,  but  as  the  outcome  of  the  situation.  The  theory, 
however,  is  not  difficult  to  construct  after  the  fact.  Music  was  simply 
asserting  its  right  to  form  an  integral  part  of  education.  It  should  be 
observed,  too,  that  the  way  was  prepared  for  this  movement  by  coeduca- 
tion. A  conser\'ator}^  attached  to  an  exclusivelj'  male  college  is  an 
absurdity,  while  a  purely  female  school  of  music  is  at  least  essentially 
weak.  We  must  not  pause  to  philosophize  ;  but  the  now  common 
introduction  of  the  conservatory  into  coeducational  institutions  is  a  highly 
suggestive  fact. 

While  the  founders  of  the  Oberlin  Conservatory-  were  men  of  capacity 
and  high  ideals,  and  while  the  Conservator}'  never  lacked  pupils,  yet  the 
beginning  was  only  the  beginning.  Every  good  school  is  more  or  less  the 
product  of  an  evolution,  even  when  the  means  are  large;  and  here  the 
means  were  in  various  ways  limited.  The  mind  of  the  college  and  com- 
munity must  be  educated  up  to  a  full  sympathy  with  the  enterprise;  nay, 
the  Conservatory  itself  must  have  time  to  work  out  its  own  ideals  and 
methods. 

A  reputation  and  a  constituency  were  to  be  won.  On  the  material 
side,  means  were  scant;  the  school  had  to  accommodate  itself  in  odd  cor- 
ners, there  was  but  one  sizable  pipe  organ  in  the  place.  The  department, 
however,  prospered,  and  established  itself  as  a  permanent  factor  in  the 
college  life.  Professor  Morgan  soon  removed  to  New  York,  Prof.  F.  B. 
Rice  became  an  instructor  in  1869,  in  two  or  three  years  Professor  Steele 
withdrew,  and  in  1872  Professor  Rice  became  director  of  the  conserx'atory. 
Professor  Rice's  musical  significance  has  been  such  that  he  merits  a  per- 
sonal sketch  in  this  book;  yet  his  public  work  has  been  so  completely 
identified  with  the  Oberlin  Conser%'ator}'  that  here  is  a  natural  place  to 
speak  of  him. 

517 


Fenelon  B.  Rice  was  born  in  1841  at  Greensburg,  Trumbull  Co.,  O. 
His  advantages  were  onlj'-  of  a  local  character  until  about  1861,  when  he 
went  to  Boston  for  larger  opportunities.  In  1863  he  took  charge  of  the 
musical  department  of  Hillsdale  College,  Michigan,  where  he  continued 
until  1867.  At  this  time  he  went  abroad  with  his  wife,  who  was  herself 
musical  and  became  an  accomplished  vocalist,  for  the  extension  of  their 
musical  culture.  His  time  was  spent  at  Leipsic,  under  the  instruction 
chiefly  of  Dr.  Papperitz  in  piano  and  Professor  Richter  in  theor}'.  He 
there  found  the  standard  of  criticism  higher  than  any  he  had  hitherto  met, 
and  .set  about  mastering  the  Leipsic  point  of  view,  with  results  that  were 
determining  for  his  own  taste.  His  teachers,  also,  were  men  of  high 
moral  conceptions,  and  their  influence  fostered  Professor  Rice's  natural 
sentiment  in  favor  of  high  morals  in  company  with  high  art.  It  was  soon 
after  his  return  from  Germany  that  he  began  his  work  at  Oberlin.  His 
connection  there  has  proved  congenial  to  both  parties.  With  the  charac- 
teristic moral  and  religious  sentiment  of  the  place  he  could  heartily  sym- 
pathize; and  if  the  average  musical  feeling  was  not  up  to  his  standard,  at 
any  rate  there  were  few  places  where  it  was  better,  or  where  the  public 
mind  was  more  tractable.  He  set  about  his  work  with  the  Leipsic  Con- 
servatory for  his  model  of  organization,  and  with  an  unbending  devotion 
to  the  lofty  art  ideals  which  had  won  his  heart.  Within  a  few  j-ears, 
however,  his  aims  acquired  a  certain  somewhat  specific  direction  which  has 
been  very  significant  in  the  life  of  the  school.  This  development  may  be 
explained  by  a  quotation  from  an  address  of  Professor  Rice  at  the  opening 
of  the  concert  room  in  Warner  Hall.  ' '  Well  do  I  remember  one  Sabbath 
morning, ' '  saj-s  the  professor,  ' '  that  a  new  sense  of  the  inadequacy  of 
our  work,  and  the  possibilities  that  might  lie  before  us,  came  to  me  almost 
with  the  strength  of  a  revelation.  I  talked  with  some  of  my  fellow 
teachers,  and  found  a  response  that  I  had  hardly  dared  to  expect.  Then 
I  talked  with  some  of  the  college  facult}^  and  found  them  readj^  to  second 
any  reasonable  effort  to  secure  what  seemed  so  much  needed.  The  par- 
ticular direction  of  this  need,  as  we  felt  it,  was  not  the  lack  of  schools 
where  education  in  the  higher  branches  of  the  art  of  music  could  be 
secured.  This  is  amplj-  provided  for  by  the  many  large  and  justly  cele- 
brated schools  in  Europe,  but  the  gjeat  need  which  all  seemed  to  feel,  was 
that  of  schools  in  which  this  higher  development  could  be  coupled  with  a 
thorough  Christian  growth  on  the  part  of  the  student,  or  at  least  where 
the  student  might  enjoj'  opportunities  for  the  highest  musical  culture,  and 
at  the  same  time  be  surrounded  with  such  an  atmosphere  as  should  foster 
the  development  of  Christian  character."  In  the  adoption  of  the  aim  here  . 
indicated,  the  conservatory  became  conscious,  in  a  way  it  had  not  been 

518 


519 


hitherto,  of  having  a  mission,  and  this  consciousness  is  always  a  source  of 
strength.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  idea  was  to  create  a  school 
exclusivel}''  or  mainly  of  sacred  music.  Though  sacred  music  received 
some  special  attention,  the  aim  was  not  so  much  to  cultivate  religious 
music  as  to  cultivate  all  noble  music  religiously.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  piano  pupils  have  always  far  outnumbered  the  organ  pupils. 

Another  event  of  great  consequence  to  the  conservatory  was  the 
acquisition  of  a  home.  This  good  fortune  was  due  to  the  beneficence  of 
Dr.  Lucien  C.  Warner  (an  alumnus  of  the  college)  and  Mrs.  Warner,  of 
New  York.  Seeing  the  cramped  condition  of  the  conser\'atory,  they 
undertook  the  erection  of  an  adequate  building,  the  central  portion  of 
which  came  into  use  in  1885,  and  the  north  wing  in  1888,  leaving  on 
wing  to  be  added.  The  building  is  a  four-story  structure  of  Ohio  sand- 
stone, elegant  in  design,  containing  office  and  library,  numerous  lesson 
and  practice  rooms,  and  a  fine  concert  hall,  and  furnished  with  steam 
heat  and  elevator.  While  the  main  thing  in  an  institution  is  its  inward- 
ness, yet  it  is  impossible  for  it  to  live  and  act  without  an  outwardness, 
and  the  possession  of  this  building  has  been  conducive  not  only  to  attend- 
ance, but  also  to  the  improvement  of  the  work.  The  addition  of  good 
organs  may  be  mentioned  in  this  connection,  while  pianos  have  multi- 
plied indefinitely.  The  patronage  of  the  conservatory  has  gradually 
increa.sed,  till  at  present  the  annual  catalogue  numbers  an  attendance  of 
between  five  hundred  and  six  hundred,  335  students  being  on  the  ground 
in  the  fall  term  of  1889.  The  number  of  young  men  is  about  one-fourth 
that  of  the  young  women.  A  large  number  of  these  pupils  are  either 
taking  music  as  an  accompaniment  of  other  studies,  or  other  studies  as  an 
accompaniment  of  music,  thus  realizing  in  some  measure  one  of  the  Ober- 
lin  ideas,  that  a  musician  needs  to  be  something  more  than  a  musician. 
The  college  gives  no  degree  for  exclusively  or  chiefly  musical  studies; 
conservatory  graduates  receive  a  diploma.  The  number  of  graduates  is 
very  small,  ranging  apparently  from  one  to  about  six  per  year.  Com- 
paratively few  young  people  are  ready  and  able  at  present  to  give  them- 
selves to  an  exhaustive  musical  course  of  four  3'ears  or  more,  and  not 
many  have  the  aptitude  which  would  warrant  it.  The  corps  of  instructors 
has  risen  to  about  .sixteen.  The  policy  of  the  conservatory  has  been 
largely  to  raise  up  its  own  teachers  by  selecting  successful  students  and 
encouraging  them  to  go  abroad  after  graduation  for  further  development. 
In  this  manner  Professor  Rice  has  been  able  to  surround  himself  with 
men  and  women  in  sympathy  with  his  own  ideals.  The  circumstances 
earlier  alluded  to  as  favorable  to  the  development  of  choral  music  have 
continued  to  operate,  and  with  greater  power.     The  two  large  churches 

520 


of  the  place  possess  noble  chorus  choirs,  singing  continually  the  highest 
styles  of  church  music;  while  the  Musical  Union  renders  not  only  the 
well  known  oratorios  of  Handel  and  Mendelssohn,  but  such  fresh  and 
di&cnh  works  as  Xerdis /)fan::o/ii  J\6-quu'm  and  Max  Bruch's  Odysseus. 

Without  wishing  to  discredit  Professor  Rice's  capacity  in  other 
respects,  it  seems  to  us  that  his  main  strength  has  lain,  on  the  one  hand, 
in  his  refined  and  severe  musical  tastes  and  his  earnest,  we  may  say 
religions,  devotion  to  a  high  musical  ideal;  and  on  the  other  hand,  in  an 
admirable  capacity  for  practical  planning  and  execution,  which  is  not  the 
gift  of  every  musician.  These  endowments,  under  the  circumstances  in 
which  he  was  placed,  have  enabled  him  to  impress  a  multitude  of  plastic 
young  minds  with  enlightened  musical  views  and  tastes,  and  thus  to  con- 
tribute a  quiet,  but  powerful,  influence  toward  the  musical  advancement 
of  the  country.  The  Oberlin  Conservatory,  indeed,  is  not  Professor  Rice's 
creature;  it  was  the  product  of  the  conditions,  and  its  success  is  due  also 
to  the  faithful  labors  of  many  workers  before  and  along  with  him.  And 
yet  it  is  fair  to  say  that  under  his  management  it  has  attained  a  loftiness 
and  definitene?s  of  aim,  and  a  solidity  of  structure,  which  without  him  it 
might  not  soon  or  ever  have  reached.  (S.) 

It  is  located  in  the  Warner  hall,  a  fine  stone  building,  the  magnifi- 
cent gift  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lucien  C.  Warner,  of  New  York  city.  The 
course  of  study  is  liberal  and  aims  rather  at  the  student's  obtaining  a 
broad  knowledge  of  music  in  all  its  branches  than  following  one  special 
line  to  the  exclusion  of  others.     Rev.  J.  H.  Fairchild  is  president,  Mrs. 

A.  A.  F.  Johnston  principal  of  the  ladies'    department  and   Mr.  Fenelon 

B.  Rice  director  and  teacher  of  harmony  and  theory.  There  is  a  large 
and  excellent  staff  of  instructors  in  all  branches.  The  conservatory  is 
well  equipped  in  other  respects,  having  thirteen  lesson  rooms  and  forty 
practice  rooms,  supplied  with  three  pedal  organs,  two  pedal  pianos,  one 
pipe  organ  and  sixty-eight  pianos.  The  charges  are  remarkably  low,  and 
the  students  have  the  great  advantage  of  being  able  to  follow  up  in  the 
college  any  literary  or  special  studies  for  which  Xh&y  have  a  mind.  Pro- 
vision is  made  in  the  college  rules  that  studies  in  harmony  and  counter- 
point, after  the  second  term's  work,  shall  count  as  two-fifths  courses,  in 
substitution  for  any  elective  in  the  college  course,  and  that  music  studetats 
in  the  last  two  years  of  their  conservatory  course,  who  shall  be  recom- 
mended b}^  the  conservator}^  facultj^  may  have  their  advanced  work  in 
other  studies  counted,  the  same  as  in  harmony,  but  in  this  case  a  musical 
thesis  is  also  required.  The  success  of  the  conservatory  is  well  shown  by 
the  fact  that  the  attendance  has  grown  from  about  a  dozen  pupils  in  1865 
to  342  in  1889,  and  the  intellectual  grade  of  the  students  shows  advance. 

521 


THE  CLEVELAND  SCHOOL  OF  MUSIC. 

HIS  highly  successful  school  was  founded  in  1884  by  Mr.  Alfred 
Arthur,  who  still  remains  its  director.  It  occupies  an  entire 
building  of  its  own,  having  a  large  hall,  a  recital  hall,  a  well  ap- 
pointed two-manual  organ  of  Hook  and  Hastings,  and  elegantly 
arranged  apartments  for  teaching.  The  course  of  study  is  broad  and 
thorough,  and  a  high  standard  of  scholarship  is  insisted  upon.  There 
is  a  large  librarj'  of  music  accessible  to  the  students.  There  is  a 
school  of  languages,  and  about  fifty  public  recitals  of  choice  music  are 
given  yearly,  manj^  of  them  composed  with  reference  to  acquainting  the 
classes  with  the  works  of  the  masters  of  the  period  before  Bach. 

Alfred  Arthur, 
The  founder  and  director  of  this  school,  was  born  Oct.  8,  1844,  near 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  He  received  his  musical  education  in  Bo.ston,  Mass., 
under  private  teachers,  the  Boston  conservatory  and  the  Boston 
school  of  music,  graduating  at  the  latter  institution  in  1868.  In  1871 
he  located  in  Cleveland,  O. ,  where  he  has  been  very  successful  as  a 
vocal  teacher.  His  compositions  of  importance  are:  Progressive  Vocal 
Studies  for  Medium  Voice  and  Seve7ity-ninc  Short  Studies  for  Alto  or  Bass; 
three  operas,  The  Water  Carrier,  Cavaliers  and  Roundheads  and  Adalijie. 
The  Water  Gzrr/V;- was  successfully  produced  in  May,  1875,  by  an  ama- 
teur company,  under  the  composer's  direction.  The  other  two  operas 
have  not  yet  been  produced. 

In  1873  Mr.  Arthur  accepted  the  position,  which  he  still  holds,  of 
conductor  of  the  Cleveland  Vocal  vSociet}-,  well  known  for  its  fine  part 
song  singing.  This  organization  has  perhaps  the  largest  library  of  part 
songs,  cantatas  and  oratorios  in  the  country.  Its  performances  are  of  a 
high  order  of  merit,  and  the  chorus  has  graduall}'  been  increased  to  one 
hundred  voices.  Three  concerts  a  j^ear  are  given,  besides  May  festivals 
every  two  years.  The  works  presented  by  the  society  in  1889  were  Men- 
del-ssohn's //)';««  ^^/Prrt/V,  Rubinstein's  Toicer  of  Babel,  Berlioz's  Dam- 
nation of  Faust,  and  The  Messiah.  Mr.  Arthur  is  also  the  conductor  of 
the  Bach  Society,  which  is  considered  one  of  the  best  models  of  chorus 
choirs  in  the  United  States. 

Mr.  Arthur  is  an  active  and  faithful  worker,  and  it  is  to  his  zeal  in  the 
cause  of  art  that  the  above-mentioned  institutions  owe  their  flourishing 

condition. 

522 


5J3 


VltlV, 


THE  PHILADELPHIA  MUSICAL  ACADEMY. 

REPRESENTATIVE  school  of  music  in  Philadelphia  is  the  Mu- 
sical Academj-,  which  is  now  alread)-  in  its  twentieth  j-ear.  This 
institution  was  founded  in  i86g,  and  it  was  one  of  the  first  Ameri- 
Hjlj^  can  musical  colleges  where  class  teaching  was  adopted.  The  found- 
ers were  Messrs.  John  F.  Himmelsbach,  Rudolph  Hennig  and  Wen- 
zel  Kopta,  true  artists  and  competent  teachers,  who  had  earned  their 
diplomas  at  celebrated  conser\'atories.  At  the  first-class  night  of  the  new 
college  there  were  no  fewer  than  two  hundred  pupils  present,  which  cer- 
tainly argued  well  for  the  prosperity  of  the  institution.  During  the  first 
decade  of  its  existence  the  academy  educated  o\-er  two  thousand  pupils,  and 
at  the  end  of  its  first  ten  years  there  were  four  hundred  pupils  enrolled. 
There  are  now  eleven  hundred.  At  the  end  of  the  first  three  j^ears  Mr. 
Hennig  left  the  school  and  joined  the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  of  Bos- 
ton. Mr.  Kopta  returned  to  Europe,  leaving  Mr.  Himmelsbach  sole  direc- 
tor. Under  his  direction  the  academy  flourished,  and  personally  he  was 
beloved  and  respected  by  all.  Three  years  ago,  as  he  wished  to  revisit 
Leipzig,  Mr.  R.  Zeckwer  succeeded  him  as  proprietor  and  director  of  the 
school,  having  been  attached  to  it  ever  since  its  foundation.  This  gentle- 
man is  a  graduate  of  the  Leipzig  Conservatory,  having  studied,  while  there, 
under  Moscheles,  Hauptmann,  Richter  and  Reinecke,  all  celebrated  masters. 
He  came  to  America  in  1869,  and  has  since  been  teaching  at  the  Phila- 
delphia Musical  Academj'.  Since  becoming  its  director,  he  has  endeavored 
to  always  have  an  efficient  corps  of  instructors  —  several  of  whom,  like 
himself,  have  been  teaching  at  the  academy  since  its  foundation. 

Prominent  in  the  large  faculty  of  the  academj'  at  present  are  such 
teachers  as  Maurits  Leefson,  Martinus  van  Gelder,  Hermann  Mohr, 
Leland  Howe,  David  Wood,  Gustav  Hille,  Pasquale  Rondinella,  W.  W. 
Gilchrist,  H.  L.  Albrecht  and  many  others  of  equal  excellence  and 
acknowledged  reputation.  Concerts  by  the  faculty  and  the  students  are 
made  a  feature  of  the  college  course,  and  all  concerts  are  given  in  the  acad- 
emy hall  connected  with  the  school.  A  diploma  from  the  Philadelphia 
Academy  of  Music  nmst  be  fully  earned  before  it  is  awarded;  for  example 
graduates  from  the  department  of  theory'  must  compose  a  four-part  fugue 
as  a  test  of  their  equipment.     Six  free  scholarships  are  given  every  year 

524 


to  talented  students  who  have  not  the  means  to  educate  themselves.  The 
academy  has  handsome  and  commodious  quarters  on  Spruce  street,  and 
also  has  a  branch  office  and  class  rooms  at  Germantown. 

The  aim  of  its  founders  and  of  its  present  director,  Mr.  Richard 
Zeckwer,  has  always  been  to  secure  to  the  pupils  every  advantage  for  a 
thorough  musical  education,  by  procuring  the  best  instructors,  bj'  aflford- 
ing  them,  through  their  concerts,  opportunities  of  frequently  hearing  the 
works  of  the  old  masters;  by  lectures  upon  various  subjects  connected  with 
sound  and  musical  literature,  and  bj'  establishing  additional  free  classes, 
such  as  harmony,  choral  and  symphony  classes,  which  under  no  other 
course  of  instruction  can  be  available  to  the  pupils.  It  is  the  earnest 
desire  and  purpose  of  the  director  to  place  his  academy  upon  as  endur- 
ing a  basis  as  the  great  .schools  of  Leipzig,  Berlin  or  Paris. 

Richard  Zeckwer, 

The  eminent  director  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Music,  is  one  of 
the  most  prominent  musical  figures  in  the  Quaker  City,  and  he  has  been 
a  diligent  worker  for  the  cause  of  the  art  for  man}^  years  past.  He  is  a 
native  of  Prussia,  where  he  was  born  at  Stendal  in  1850.  When  a  boy 
he  manifested  decided  musical  talents,  his  parents  gave  him  advantages, 
and  eventually  he  entered  the  Leipzig  Conservatory  in  which  celebrated 
school  of  music  he  remained  for  several  j-ears,  graduating  in  1869  and 
distinguishing  himself  by  his  diligence  and  his  natural  gifts.  Especially 
were  his  studies  directed  to  the  piano,  theor}^  and  acoustics,  and  as  a 
theorist  he  has  taken  especially  high  rank.  Ver}'-  soon  after  his  graduat- 
ing at  the  Leipzig  Conservator)',  Mr.  Zeckwer,  feeling  a  strong  desire  to 
see  the  new  world,  came  to  America,  arriving  in  this  country  in  the  year 
of  his  leaving  the  college.  Going  to  Philadelphia,  his  talents  were  at 
once  recognized  by  the  projectors  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Music, 
which  institution  had  just  been  started.  He  was  invited  to  become  a 
member  of  the  faculty,  and  he  accepted.  He  has  been  connected  with  the 
school  ever  since,  for  the  greater  part  of  the  time  as  its  head  and  front,  as 
he  accepted  the  directorship  in  1S76.  Under  his  efficient  superintendence 
the  academy  lias  prospered  and  flourished,  and  he  has  displayed  not  only 
his  fine  faculties  as  an  instructor  but  also  his  remarkable  executive  ability. 

As  a  compo.ser  Mr.  Zeckwer  has  found  time  to  exert  his  more  than 
ordinary  talents.  Among  his  works  may  be  named  The  Bride  of  Mcsshia 
overture,  The  Festival  Overture,  and  many  piano  and  vocal  works,  most 
of  tliem  published  by  Oliver  Ditson  &  Co.  He  is  also  the  inventor  of 
Zeckwer's  metronome.  Mr.  Zeckwer  is  a  man  of  broad  culture  and  an 
educator,  who  is  in  love  with  his  work,  and  is  zealous  in  his  enthusiasm. 

526 


DANA'S  MUSICAL  INSTITUTE. 

f  HE  history  of  this  school  is  necessarily  to  a  great  extent  a  biog- 
l  raphical  sketch  of  its  founder  and  present  director,  Mr.  William 
H.  Dana,  who  has  been  identified  with  its  interests  from  its  in- 
ole)""  ception.  The  institute  is  located  in  Warren,  Trumbull  Co.,  O., 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  of  the  Mahoning  valley.  The  At- 
lantic &  Great  Western  railway  passes  through  the  city,  forming  an 
unbroken  line  from  New  York  to  Cincinnati,  connecting  at  different  points 
with  the  principal  roads  of  the  United  States;  also  the  Cleveland  &  Ma- 
honing railway,  which  joins  Pittsburgh  to  Cleveland,  thus  making  the 
school  easy  of  access  from  the  lakes,  and  the  roads  connecting  Chicago 
with  Albany.  There  are  also  two  other  roads  passing  through  the  city, 
which  connect  Pittsburgh  with  the  lakes:  The  Ashtabula,  Youngstown  & 
Pittsburgh  railroad,  striking  the  lake  at  Ashtabula,  and  the  Painesville, 
Youngstown  &  Pittsburgh,  meeting  the  lake  at  Painesville. 

The  institute  occupies  a  handsome  and  spacious  building  of  its  own, 
fitted  up  with  every  convenience  which  the  needs  of  such  a  school  might 
suggest.  Its  home  patronage  is  understood  to  be  small  on  account  of 
the  demands  made  for  close  adherence  to  study,  but  the  reputation  of 
the  school  has  brought  to  its  doors  students  from  Dakota,  Kansas,  Iowa, 
Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Illinois,  Indiana,  Michigan,  Kentuck)',  Ten- 
nessee, Mar>-land,  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia,  New  York,  Virginia, 
Long  Island,  Louisiana,  Canada,  Mississippi,  Ohio,  etc.  The  school  is 
not  found  connected  with  any  institution,  but  is  a  self-supporting  school 
of  music,  depending  entirely  upon  its  reputation  and  patronage  for 
support. 

Besides  Mr.  Dana,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  institute,  there  are  con- 
nected with  it:  Mr.  Julius  Dana,  Mr.  C.  Koontz,  Mr.  W.  W.  LeiEng- 
well,  and  Messrs.  H.  C.  Thayer,  J.  Schmidt,  A.  V.  Alcorn,  E.  H.  Heyser. 
H.  E.  B.  Coursen,  J.  D.  Cook,  R.  Nugent,  O.  Farrar  as  well  as  several 
others.  The  school  is  divided  into  four  departments,  namely:  the  parlor 
music  department,  church  music  department,  the  orchestral  music  depart- 
ment and  the  brass  band  music  department.  The  course  is  a  very  thor- 
ough one,  and  essential  to  graduation  are  the  following  acquirements: 


The  co'.npletion  of  the  course  of  study  in  the  chosen*  instrument;  the 
completion  of  the  course  of  study  in  theory;  a  written  examination  in 
rudiments,  averaging  eighty-five  per  cent;  a  written  examination  in 
theory,  averaging  eighty-five  per  cent;  a  written  examination  in  reading 
by  sound,  averaging  eighty-five  per  cent;  an  examination  in  reading  at 
sight,  averaging  eighty-five  per  cent;  the  writing  of  a  choral  work  for 
solo,  chorus  and  orchestra,  to  take  not  less  than  fifteen  minutes  in  its 
rendition;  the  writing  of  a  thesis  from  a  topic  ofiered  in  theory,  in  the 
examination  of  which  the  candidate's  knowledge  of  the  English  language 
(composition,  spelling,  punctuation,  etc.)  is  taken  into  account. 

This  institution  was  founded  in  1869,  and  for  twenty  years  has  been, 
doing  noble  service  by  the  development  of  a  love  for  music  and  proficiency 
in  musical  art.  It  is  a  monument  to  the  talent  and  energy  of  its  founder, 
and  a  factor  of  importance  in  the  growth  of  art  in  the  state  of  Ohio. 

William  H.  Dana. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  indite  a  histor}'  of  American  music,  at  least 
of  that  portion  of  it  relating  to  the  state  of  Ohio,  without  referring  to  Mr. 
William  H.  Dana,  who  has  practically  grown  up  with  the  art  in  his  native 
state.  Mr.  Dana  was  born  in  the  town  of  Warren,  O.,  which  place  has 
been  the  scene  of  his  principal  labors  and  successes.  He  was  born  in 
1849,  and  he  developed  a  deal  of  musical  ability  at  an  early  age,  at  a 
period  when  the  facilities  for  the  studj'  of  the  arts  were  by  no  means  what 
they  are  now  in  that  part  of  the  country.  The  greater  part  of  Mr. 
Dana's  musical  education  was  acquired  at  the  Roj-al  Academj-,  London, 
Eng.,  and  at  Berlin,  under  the  celebrated  teacher  August  Haupt.  He  is 
entitled  to  special  consideration  in  a  musical  history,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  he  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  ISIusic  Teachers'  National  Associa- 
tion, an  institution  Avhich  has  been  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  music 
teachers  of  this  country.  In  this  society  Mr.  Dana  has  been  conspicuous 
since  the  date  of  its  origin.  He  was  its  treasurer  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  faithfully  and  efficiently  discharged  the  duties  of  that  office. 
His  essaj'S  read  at  the  several  reunions  of  the  association  have  been 
favorably  regarded  by  reason  of  their  originality  of  thought  and  their 
forceful  expression.  In  fact,  he  has  written  a  great  deal  upon  musical 
art,  and  he  was  selected  by  the  publishers  of  the  Encyclopedia  of  Music 
and  Micsiciaiis,  at  Glasgow,  Scotland,  to  contribute  the  articles  relating 
to  mu.sic  in  America.  Mr.  Dana's  compositions  include,  Dana's  Practical 
Harmony,  Dana' s  Practical  Composition,  Dana' s  Practical  Thoroughbass, 
a  National  School  for  Cornet,  and  works  on  orchestration  and  military 
band  instrumentation. 


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THE  NORTHWESTERN  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUSIC, 
MINNEAPOLIS,   MINN. 

— pHIS  prosperous  school  of  music  was  established  in  September, 
1885,  by  Mr.  Chas.  H.  Morse,  and,  under  his  able  direction,  it 
^pt  has  continued  to  prosper  3'ear  by  year.  The  enterprise  and 
spirit  of  this  institution  are  shown  in  the  character  and  accomplish- 
ments of  its  instructors,  and  the  efficiency  and  thoroughness  of  its 
work.  Thirty  choice  concerts  had  been  given  previous  to  1889,  and 
its  work  received  the  cordial  and  hearty  indorsement  of  the  best  educators. 
This  conservatory  is  valuable  to  the  citizens  of  Minneapolis  and  the  north- 
west, not  only  as  a  school  of  music  and  a  teacher  of  its  pupils,  but  also  as 
an  educator  of  the  public,  giving  it  a  taste  for  music  and  culture. 

Charles  H.  Morse. 

Mr.  Charles  H.  Morse,  founder  of  this  excellent  school,  was  born  at 
Bradford,  Mass.,  Jan.  5,  1853.  When  a  bo}' of  fifteen  he  had  already 
become  so  good  a  musician  as  to  ser\-e  regularly  as  church  organist  in  his 
native  town,  filling  the  position  so  well  that  he  was  presently  called  to 
important  Boston  churches,  Tremont  Temple  and  ' '  Adirondack ' '  Mur- 
raj^'s  congregations  among  the  number.  His  education  was  acquired 
under  Professors  Paine,  Whiting,  Petersilea,  Parker,  Peraboand  Baermann. 
In  1876  he  received  from  Boston  Universit}-  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Music, 
the  first  in  order  given  by  this  institution.  He  served  Welleslej-  College 
nine  j-ears  as  professor  of  music,  leaving  there  in  1865  to  accept  a  position 
as  organist  for  the  First  Baptist  church  of  Minneapolis.  In  the  same 
year  he  founded  the  school  of  which  he  is  still  the  head.  The  unusual 
success  of  the  conservator}'  is  due,  no  doubt,  in  part  to  the  excellence  of 
the  other  teachers  associated  with  Mr.  Morse  in  the  faculty.  Among 
them  are  Mr.  Walter  Petzet,  the  composer.  Miss  Julia  May,  Mr.  Adolph 
Greten,  and  a  score  of  others.  As  Mr.  Morse  is  still  a  young  man,  it  is 
easy  to  predict  for  him  a  career  of  great  usefulness  in  the  mighty  north- 
west. 

As  composer,  Mr.  Morse  is  best  known  by  his  arrangements  of  class- 
ical works  for  the  organ,  but  it  is  understood  that  he  has  a  number  of 
more  ambitious  works  in  hand. 

550 


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THE  DETROIT  CONSERVATORY  OK  MUSIC. 

HIS  representative  institution,  now  in  its  fourteenth  year,  is  not 
an  endowed  college,  but  is  dependent  for  its  success  upon  the 
earnest,  persistent  and  well  directed  efforts  of  its  faculty  and  its 
president,  Mr.  J.  H.  Hahn.  An  idea  of  the  growth  of  the  estab- 
ta  lishment  may  be  gained  when  it  is  stated  that  in  the  year  1880  120 
I  students  were  enrolled,  while  in  the  j-ear  1888  there  were  no  fewer  than 
609.  The  following  are  the  principal  members  of  the  faculty:  Mr.  J.  H. 
Hahn,  director  piano,  harmony  and  composition;  Mr.  F.  H.  Pease, 
director  of  vocal  department;  Mr.  J.  C.  Bachelder,  organ  and  piano;  Mr. 
Mr.  Chas.  E.  Piatt,  organ,  harmony  and  composition;  Mr.  Fred  A.  Abel, 
piano,  .singing  and  'cello;  Mr.  William  Luderer,  violin  and  en.semble 
plaj-ing;  Mi.ss  Kate  Jacobs,  piano;  Miss  Agnes  Andrus,  piano;  Miss  Alice 
Andrus,  voice  culture,  and  a  number  of  other  teachers.  The  faculty  con- 
sists of  well  known  instructors,  graduates  of  the  most  celebrated  in.stitu- 
tions  of  musical  learning  in  Europe,  including  the  Royal  Consen-atories 
of  Leipzig,  Dresden  and  vStuttgart;  the  Kullak  and  Scharwenka  Music 
Schools  at  Berlin;  the  Raff  Conservatory  at  Frankfort;  the  Liszt  Class  at 
Weimar,  and  the  Royal  Academy  of  Mu.sic,  London. 

More  than  350  concerts  have  been  given  under  the  auspices  of  the 
conservatory  bj^  Joseflfy,  Carreiio,  Rive-King,  Louis  Maas,  Sherwood, 
Bendix  and  others. 

Mr.  J.   H.   Hahx 

Was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1847.  Having  decided  talent  for  music 
as  a  child,  he  early  made  public  appearances,  and  afteward  studied  with 
Dr.  Ziegfeld,  in  Chicago,  and  for  three  ^-ears  at  Leipzig.  Upon  his  return 
to  America,  Mr.  Hahn  came  to  Detroit,  where  in  1875  he  founded  thecon- 
serv^atorj'  which  has  so  greath'  prospered.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Micliigan  Music  Teachers'  Association,  and  has  always  been  prom- 
inent in  the  National  Association  of  Music  Teachers. 

As  already-  indicated  in  the  .success  of  the  institution  he  has  built  up, 
Mr.  Hahn  adds  to  his  purely  musical  qualifications  unusual  .sagacity  as 
a  business  man.  He  has  accumulated  a  comfortable  property,  and  is 
.stockholder  in  various  commercial  and  financial  enterprises.  Through 
his  influence  and  stimulation  the  nmsical  profession  of  Detroit  is  thrifty 
and  united,  to  a  degree  rarely  seen  in  a  city  of  its  size. 

532 


THK  CLEVELAND  CONSERVATORY  OF  MUSIC. 

I  HIS  institution  was  founded  in  187 1,  and  now  occupies  specially- 
arranged  apartments  in  the  beautiful  new  Clarence  building  on 
^  Euclid  avenue.  In  1888  the  Conservatory  of  Music  became  the 
musical  department  of  the  Western  Reserve  University,  as  a  recog- 
y  nition  of  its  salutary  influence  upon  the  progress  of  musical  art  in 
'  Cleveland.  The  faculty  is  made  up  of  instructors  whose  artistic 
merits  and  thorough  qualifications  are  generally  recognized.  Mr.  F. 
Bassett,  one  of  the  directors  of  this  school,  is  an  accomplished  musician 
and  a  very  successful  instructor.  He  was  educated  at  the  Leipsic  Con- 
servatory, and  also  studied  under  Plaidy  and  Jadassohn.  He  has  resided 
in  Cleveland  since  1877,  ^^'^  became  a  director  of  the  conservator}^  in 
1882.  Mr.  Chas.  Heydler,  who  is  also  a  director,  is  a  native  of  Cleve- 
land, having  been  born  May  20,  186 1.  He  began  his  career  as  a  vio- 
linist, but  finallj'  took  up  the  violoncello  as  his  principal  instrument.  He 
has  studied  with  some  of  the  most  prominent  teachers  of  Europe  and  of 
this  country,  and  has  played  in  concerts  with  some  of  the  most  noted 
artists  of  the  daj-.     The  school  is  in  a  highly  flourishing  condition. 

Charles  S.  Brainard, 
Son  of  the  distinguished  musician  and  music  publisher,  Silas  Brainard,  of 
Cleveland,  was  born  in  Cleveland  in  1841,  and  educated  in  his  native 
city.  His  musical  education  was  commenced  early,  and  he  made  credit- 
able progress  upon  the  piano,  organ  and  several  other  instruments,  before 
he  was  fifteen  years  of  age.  When  his  school  education  was  completed, 
he  entered  his  father's  store  as  salesman,  and  in  1864  was  admitted  to  a 
partnership.  At  the  death  of  Mr.  Silas  Brainard  in  1871,  the  firm  of  S. 
Brainard's  Sons  was  formed,  and  in  1884  the  S.  Brainard's  Sons 
Company  was  formed,  a  stock  companj-  in  which  Mr.  C.  S.  Brainard  owns 
a  controlling  interest.  In  1869  the  business  was  removed  to  Chicago, 
where  Mr.  Brainard  now  lives.  Since  1864  Mr.  Brainard  has  been  man- 
aging and  controlling  editor  of  Brainard's  Musical  World,  Karl  Merz 
being  literary  and  critical  editor.  The  publication  has  a  verj'  large  circu- 
lation and  is  one  of  the  most  practically  useful  journals  of  its  class.  As 
a  publi.sher,  Mr.  Brainard  is  enterprising  and  liberal,  and  the  new  editions- 
of  music,  issued  by  this  house,  present  a  ven,-  elegant  appearance. 

534 


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CHAPTER  XIX. 

Music  Teaching  as  a  Profession. 

Ilpgljl'  GREATER  contrast  to  the  ideas  of  a  century  ago  could  not  be 
found  than  the  position  and  social  standing  of  many  professional 
musicians  whose  names  and  work  are  recorded  in  the  pages  fol- 
lowing. The  change  from  the  rank  of  "  fiddler  "  to  that  of  leading 
members  of  the  musical  profession  is  world-wide,  wider  in  the  social 
ideas  involved  than  the  pecuniary  transition  implied,  although  the 
latter  is  also  verj'  large.  In  these  sentiments  we  write  as  Americans.  It 
is  not  true  that  an  honorable  position  was  generally  denied  musicians  in 
former  times  in  other  lands.  In  the  Netherlands  in  the  fifteenth  century, 
in  Italy  in  the  sixteenth,  in  Germany  and  England  in  the  seventeenth, 
men  learned  to  recognize  musicians  as  worthy  of  honor.  Still  there  was 
something  illusory  in  the  social  and  professional  estimation  bestowed  upon 
this  class.  There  were  a  few  musicians,  of  rare  force  of  mind  and  character, 
no  doubt,  who  were  honored  in  those  countries,  and  in  all  of  them  at  the 
periods  here  referred  to  the  nmsical  profession  held  a  high  degree  of  public 
estimation.  This,  however,  was  given  to  a  limited  class  only.  Those  who 
were  great  performing  artists,  or  who  were  successful  composers,  were 
highly  esteemed,  and  in  their  successful  moments  were  admitted  to  kiss 
the  king's  hand  or  to  entertain  their  majesties  while  engaged  in  eating. 
Cu.stoms  of  this  kind  prevailed  until  within  one  or  two  generations  of  the 
present.  Haydn  was  the  leader  of  the  domestic  orchestra  of  Prince  Ester- 
hazy.  Beethoven,  indeed,  refused  so  humiliating  a  position.  He  asserted 
his  own  rank  among  the  princes  of  divine  right.  Even  in  the  times  when 
a  few  musicians  were  held  in  esteem,  the  greater  number  of  the  profession 
pursued  the  heavenly  maid  in  by-paths  and  in  lunnble  walks  of  life.  The 
pecuniary  rewards  of  their  work  were  meagre  indeed,  and  the  social  esti- 
mation of  the  musician  was  about  as  low  as  his  enemy  could  desire. 

In  America  the  position  of  a  nuisic  teacher  has  been  peculiarly  un- 
pleasant. If  possessed  of  high  attainments  and  lofty  ideals,  he  has  lieen 
brought  into  contact  with  a  mercantile  public,  measuring  success  by  a 

536 


money  standard,  and  nearly  or  quite  insensible  to  the  fine  points  of  his 
professional  fancy.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  the  larger  number  of  teachers 
in  the  country  at  large,  until  very  recently,  were  imperfectly  qualified  for 
their  work,  and  we  cannot  wonder  that  the  public  has  not  been  ready  to 
class  teachers  of  music  along  with  school  teachers,  whose  attainments 
stand  in  so  much  closer  relation  to  success  or  failure  in  life.  Moreover, 
the  profession  has  been  full  of  people  undertaking  a  class  in  music  without 
experience  in  teaching  or  adequate  technical  preparation  therefor,  merely 
as  a  pastime,  or  as  a  ready  means  of  earning  money  for  a  brief  period 
until  the  young  lady  could  get  herself  established  in  life.  Superficiality 
and  temporality  were  the  two  vices  of  the  profession  below  the  higher 
walks  of  it.  But  while  the  young  woman  still  disports  herself  in  teaching 
music  for  a  few  years,  between  the  time  of  finishing  school  and  getting 
married,  there  is  a  great  difference  in  the  situation  now  as  compared  to 
that  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  She  is  now  much  better  prepared  than 
her  older  sister  of  that  time,  and  she  has  in  her  more  of  the  feelings  and 
ideal  of  a  musician.  Hence  her  attitude  toward  the  art  is  entirel}^  different, 
and  her  influence  in  it  correspondingly  increased.  She  does  more  for  music, 
and  music  in  turn  does  more  for  her.  Three  causes  have  helped  toward 
the  better  standing  of  musicians:  First,  their  better  education,  accord- 
ing to  the  standard  of  the  excellent  schools  noticed  in  the  earlier  chapters 
hereof;  second,  the  formation  of  the  National  Association  of  Music  Teach- 
ers, which  has  operated  to  bring  music  teachers  together  in  large  num- 
bers, giving  them  a  confidence  due  to  their  numbers,  and  enabling  the 
public  generally  to  estimate  their  mental  and  personal  weight  more  justl}'. 
These  meetings  have  also  promoted  brotherhood  among  teachers  to  a 
marked  degree.  The  old-time  narrow-minded  hostility  of  neighboring 
teachers  to  each  other's  person  and  work  has  given  place  to  a  feeling  of 
professional  brotherhood  and  mutual  helpfulness.  This  trait  has,  indeed, 
much  room  still  to  enlarge  itself  before  it  takes  in  all  members  of  the  pro- 
fession. But  it  is  operative  now  throughout  the  country  to  a  perceptible 
degree,  and  is  destined  to  be  much  more  operative  in  the  future.  There 
is  yet  a  third  element  which  has  aided  this  elevation  of  the  profession.  It 
is  the  formation  of  the  American  College  of  Musicians,  of  which  a  full 
account  will  be  found  further  on. 

In  the  line  of  pecuniary  rewards  of  success  in  this  department  of  edu- 
cation there  is  still  room  for  improvement.  The  average  teacher  of  music, 
a  woman,  in  small  villages,  earns  but  a  meagre  pittance,  but  then  she 
commonly  brings  to  it  but  a  meagre  capital.  From  nothing  nothing  comes. 
In  all  the  smaller  cities  there  are  teachers  now  earning  in  teaching  music 
about  the  same  as  the  principal  clergymen,  school  teachers  or  college  pro- 

537 


fessors  of  llie  vicinity.  In  the  cities  the  average  music  teacher,  suffi- 
cientl}'-  important  to  be  generall\-  known  bj-  reputation,  earns  ratlier  more 
than  most  professors  in  colleges  in  this  country.  There  are  a  few  who 
earn  handsome  incomes.  The  large  prizes,  indeed,  are  few,  and  then  do 
not  compare  favorably  with  the  large  prizes  accessible  to  lawyers,  doctors 
and  other  leading  professional  men.  Still,  when  mere  teaching  is  capable 
of  yielding  an  income  of  eight  or  ten  thousand  dollars  a  year,  as  it  does 
to  quite  a  number  of  the  prominent  teachers  of  singing  and  a  few  teachers 
of  pianoforte,  in  the  following  pages,  the  profession  has  reached  the  line 
of  respectability,  according  to  a  bankable  standard.  Concert  players  earn 
more,  and  singers  much  more,  if  successful.  A  salar}^  of  $300  a  week  is 
not  large  for  a  favorite  singer  man}-  degrees  short  of  a  Patti  or  Nilsson. 
The  ordinary  teacher,  indeed,  is  subject  to  considerable  annoj'ance,  to  use 
no  harsher  term,  in  consequence  of  the  irregularity  and  uncertainty  of  the 
income.  Still,  this  is  incident  to  all  professions  in  the  earlier  or  lower 
grades  of  them.  Every  year  sees  an  improvement.  The  conservatories 
and  seminaries  have  assisted  teachers  considerably  at  this  point  by  estab- 
lishing the  proper  rule,  that  the  pupil  loses  lessons  missed.  Unfor- 
tunately, many  teachers  are  so  irregular  themselves  in  attending  the  pupil 
that  they  cainiot  in  clear  conscience  charge  the  pupil  for  lessons  missed 
when  there  is  a  good  excuse.  Music  teachers  owe  it  to  themselves  tos3'S- 
tematize  their  work  in  this  respect  as  much  as  possible,  and  bj-  habits  of 
strict  punctuality  upon  their  own  part  place  themselves  in  position  to  in- 
sist upon  like  qualities  upon  the  part  of  their  pupils  and  patrons.  In  yet 
another  way  the  schools  have  assisted  the  private  teachers.  Bj'  establish- 
ing standards  of  study  and  conditions  of  graduation,  they  have  formed  the 
ideal  of  complete  education  in  music.  This  takes  longer,  assists  in  making 
it  easier  to  work  for  true  ideals,  where,  without  some  such  incentive, 
the  pupil  would  not  undergo  the  drudgery.  It  also  prolongs  the  school 
year  and  steadies  it. 

Several  times  in  the  history-  of  the  National  Association  the  idea  has 
been  broached  of  establishing  certain  conditions  of  professional  qualifica- 
tion, and  of  excluding  from  the  association  teachers  not  so  qualified.  Upon 
thoroughly  canvassing  the  proposition,  however,  it  has  been  discovered 
that  the  association  is  not  '.n  condition  to  risk  its  future  in  an  attempt  of 
this  kind.  The  often  quoted  example  of  physicians,  who  are  not  allowed 
to  practice  without  diplomas,  is  ju.stified  in  the  risk  of  life  which  the  care- 
less administration  of  remedies  involves.  In  music  teaching  nothing  more 
serious  is  risked  than  the  time  of  the  pupil  and  the  auditory  comfort  of 
the  neighborhood  in  which  she  does  her  practicing.  This  being  the  case, 
it  has  so  far  been  thought  more  consistent  with  the  freedom  of  American 

5-3 


institutions  that  ambitious  youngsters  continue  to  exercise  their  talents 
for  getting  on  in  the  world  by  giving  music  lessons,  to  whatever  degree 
their  character  and  personal  popularity  or  their  talent  may  gain  them 
patronage,  than  to  endeavor  to  cut  them  off  by  an  arbitrary  prescription, 
which  in  the  nature  of  the  case  could  not  be  enforced.  If  a  girl  wishes 
to  teach,  and  some  one  wishes  to  pa}^  her  for  doing  so,  it  will  be  found  ex- 
tremely difficult  to  prevent  the  two  poles  of  the  commercial  battery  from 
coming  into  contact  and  interchange  of  state. 

Improved  standards  of  qualifications  are  demanded  bj-  patrons,  who 
judge  by  results  as  compared  with  the  attending  expense.  Thej^  are  also 
desired  by  the  3'oung  teachers  themselves  who  have  pride  in  doing  their 
work  well.  With  increased  qualifications  there  will  come  increased  social 
estimation,  and  presently  a  demand  which  will  justify  the  individual  in 
demanding  a  higher  price  for  services.  Thus  the  standard  of  the  profes- 
sion is  continually  being  elevated. 

There  is  one  point  shown  by  the  individual  biographies  following,  to 
which  especial  attention  is  invited.  We  refer  to  the  unanimity  with 
which  the  teachers  here  recorded  have  continued  to  exercise  themselves  in 
the  less  profitable  departments  and  more  artistic  tasks  of  musical  com- 
position. The  number  of  sonatas  and  other  large  works  shown  in  the 
records  of  this  book  is  very  large,  and  bears  eloquent  testimony  to  the 
earnestness  and  genuine  artistic  spirit  of  the  musical  educators  of  America. 
Nor  should  the  reader  forget  that  the  members  here  spoken  of  in  detail 
and  presented  in  portraits  are  onl}'  a  few  of  the  representative  members 
of  a  profession  numbering  scores,  if  not  hundreds,  in  every  county  of  the 
United  States. 

The  most  important  event  in  the  history  of  the  profession  of  music 
teaching  in  the  United  States,  is  the  establishment  of  the  American  Col- 
lege of  Musicians,  of  which  the  plan  is  as  follows: 

The  American  College  of  Musicians. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  draw  the  dividing  line  between  artistic  sensibility 
and  mechanical  proficiency.  If  all  that  is  wanted  in  music  be  the  striking 
of  certain  notes  in  due  succession  and  in  definite,  rhythmical  time,  we  can 
get  a  machine  to  play  it  better  than  a  man.  The  glory  of  music  lies  in 
whatever  of  human  there  is  in  it,  in  its  power  of  interpreting  human 
thought  and  action.  Music  may  be  divine,  but  it  is  the  human  light 
behind  the  transparency  that  lends  it  grace.  To  see  this  human  soul  in 
music,  to  love  it,  and  to  bring  it  out  so  that  other  people  may  see  it  and  love  it 
is  the  part  of  a  great  musician,  and  his  ability  to  do  so  is  what  separates  him 
from  the  crowd  who  play  on  blindly,  seeing  naught  of  the  glor>',  hearing 

539 


naught  but  a  succession  of  pretty  sounds,  and  pocketing  a  given  number 
of  dollars  and  cents  for  turning  themselves,  for  the  time,  into  machines'. 
When  the  IMusic  Teachers'  National  Association  was  formed,  in  1876,  it 
was  supposed  that  it  would  imnv^nliately  have  the  eifect  of  raising  the 
standard  of  professional  qualification,  and  help  to  draw  the  line  Ijetween 
those  teachers  using  a  smattering  of  musical  knowledge  as  a  means  of 
earning  a  little  pocket  money  or  a  scanty  livelihood,  and  the  higher  class 
who  love  art  and  practice  it  understandingly.  But  after  a  few  years  it 
was  seen  that  this  end  could  not  be  gained  without  splitting  up  the  asso- 
ciation and  rendering  it  of  no  account  as  a  brotherhood  of  true  musicians. 
A  separate  fraternity  must  be  established,  having  for  its  sole  aim  the 
maintenance  of  a  high  standard  of  professional  qualification. 

That  was  the  origin  of  the  American  College  of  Musicians.  A  pre- 
liminary organization  was  effected  in  1884,  and  committees  were  appointed 
to  draft  a  constitution,  prepare  plans  of  examination,  and  to  devise  prac- 
tical methods  of  work.  It  was  two  years  before  the  first  prospectus  of  the 
college  was  issued,  and  the  objects  of  the  organization  were  stated,  as 
follows: 

1.  To  establish  a  proper  standard  of  attainment. 

2.  To  encourage  those  intending  to  follow  the  art  of  music  as  a 
profession,  to  prepare  themselves  according  to  that  standard. 

The  standard  was  established  by  means  of  a  series  of  graded  tests,  and 
a  broad  and  general  invitation  was  extended  to  musicians,  both  native 
and  foreign,  to  apply  for  examination.  In  the  various  branches  of  musical 
theor}'  the  examination  is  conducted  in  writing,  and  thorough  scholarship 
insured  in  everything  of  music  which  can  be  definitely  communicated  and 
tested  by  question  and  answer.  But  a  much  more  difficult  point  was  the 
test  of  arti.stic  feeling  of  the  candidate  —  whether  he  was  a  man  or  a 
machine.  It  was  all-important  to  discover  what  degree  of  artistic  sensi- 
bilit}-  he  possessed,  for  a  machine  cannot  influence  or  educate.  This 
test  is  applied  by  the  demonstrative  recital  or  performance  of  selected 
compositions  representing  all  the  leading  schools  of  the  department  in 
which  the  test  is  to  operate,  and  the  recitals  are  given  by  the  candidate 
while  the  judges  are  concealed  from  him,  knowing  him  only  b}^  a  number. 

The  following  list  of  examiners  shows  that  they  are  taken  from  among- 
the  most  distinguished  musicians  in  this  country,  thus  assuring  candi- 
dates the  opportunity  of  being  judged  by  artists  of  unimpeachable  ability 
and  integrity  under  conditions  reasonably  free  from  embarrassment  and 
absolutely  exempt  from  the  po.ssibility  of  partiality  or  imposition.  Board 
OF  Ux\y\i'SERS  :—P/a?io/of-/c':  William  H.  Sherwood,  Louis  Maas,  Will- 
iam Mason.      Voice:  Mme.  Luisa  Cappiani,  Mrs.  Sarah  Hershey  Eddy,  J. 

540 


H.  Wheeler.  Teachers  of  Miisie for  Publle  Seliooh:  W.  F.  Heath,  N.  Coe 
Stewart,  WilHam  H.  Dana.  Oroan:  Clarence  Eddy,  S.  B.  Whitney, 
Samuel  P.  Warren.  Violin:  S.  E.  Jacobsohn,  Henry  Schradieck,  J.  H. 
Beck.  Musieal  Theory:  E.  M.  Bowman,  W.  W.  Gilchrist,  Frederic  Grant 
Gleason.  Defining  these  tests  was  a  great  work,  for  the  result  of  their 
application  was  to  arrive  in  a  manner  at  the  candidate's  inner  conscious- 
ness, to  determine  not  only  hoiu  he  was  playing,  ill  or  well,  but  why  he 
was  playing  in  that  particular  way.  If  the  American  College  of  Musi- 
cians had  accomplished  nothing  more  than  the  work  of  defining  these 
tests,  its  record  would  be  a  proud  one,  for,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  when 
it  has  once  been  shown  that  such  tests  of  thoroughness  and  competence 
can  be  defined  and  impartially  applied,  the  public  will  demand  them  — 
not  alone  from  this  body,  but  from  schools,  seminaries  and  from  conser- 
vatories in  general. 

Candidates  from  twenty-one  states  have  been  examined,  and  thirty- 
seven  passed.  Of  the  twelve  who  failed,  three  presented  themselves  a 
second  time,  and,  having  passed  successfully,  are  now  members  of  the 
college.  At  the  meeting  of  1888  the  question  of  forming  local  sections 
of  the  college,  with  power  to  hold  examinations  under  the  same  condi- 
tions for  the  associate  degree,  was  considered,  and  a  plan  adopted  by 
which,  within  a  short  time,  the  college  will  be  able  to  reach  candidates 
at  all  the  principal  commercial  centres.  There  are  three  grades  of  mem- 
bers :  Initiatory  (associateship),  Intermediate  (fellowship)  and  Senior 
(mastership).  There  is  also  a  special  examination  for  teachers  of  music 
in  the  public  schools.  For  each  of  these  degrees  there  is  a  diploma  issued 
with  the  seal  of  the  College  of  Musicians  affi.xed.  The  following  are  the 
officers  for  1889:  President,  E.  M.  Bowman;  first  vice-president,  Clarence 
Eddy;  second  vice-president,  S.  B.  Whitney;  secretary-  and  treasurer, 
Robert  Bonner  (address,  60  William  street,  Providence,  R.  I.).  Prospec- 
tuses of  the  college  or  other  information  may  be  had  by  addressing  the 
secretary 

Edw.\rd  Morris  Bowman, 

Originator  ana  president  of  the  American  College  of  Musicians,  was  bom 
at  Barnard,  Vt.,  July  18,  1848.  He  learned  to  read  music  at  Moses 
Cheney's  singing  school  in  the  village,  and  at  ten  years  of  age  was  sent 
away  to  attend  school  at  the  Academj',  Ludlow,  \'t.,  where  he  received 
his  first  piano  lessons  from  Miss  Ella  Sparhawk.  In  1859  the  famil}^ 
removed  to  Canton,  X.  Y.,  where  young  Bowman  studied  the  piano  with 
Miss  Anna  Brown,  and  afterward  the  piano,  organ  and  harmony  with  A. 
C.  Faville,  attending  school  at  the  academy  and  finally  at  St.  Lawrence 
S5  541 


University.  Four  years  later  he  began  his  professional  life  as  a  teacher 
and  plaj'er  at  Minneapolis.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1866-67  studying 
the  piano  in  New  York  with  Dr.  William  Mason,  and  organ  and  theory 
with  John  P.  Morgan.  During  this  time  al.so  he  acted  as  organi.st  at 
Old  Trinity  church.  Late  in  that  year  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  where,  in 
1870,  he  married  Miss  Mary  E.  Jones,  and  with  her  spent  the  years 
1872-74  in  Europe.  Most  of  this  time  was  occupied  in  Berlin  studying 
the  piano  with  Franz  Bendel,  the  organ  with  August  Haupt  and  Edouard 
Rhode,  and  theory  and  composition  with  C.  F.  Weitzman.  Mr.  Bowman 
also  studied  the  organ  with  Batiste  in  Paris,  and  spent  some  time  in 
traveling  through  Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent,  visiting  Liszt, 
Wagner,  Joachim  and  many  others. 

On  his  return  to  St.  Louis  he  devoted  himself  to  study,  teaching, 
church  and  other  public  work,  and  to  the  preparation  for  the  press  of 
Weitzmann's  Manual  of  Musical  Theory,  a  work  compiled  from  notes 
taken  during  his  lessons  with  Weitzmann.  In  1881  he  again  visited 
Europe  for  the  purposes  of  study  and  travel,  paid  a  brief  visit  to  Guilmant 
at  Paris,  and  did  some  work  in  London  with  Professor  Macfarren,  Dr. 
Bridge,  of  Westminister  Abbey,  and  E.  H.  Turpin,  of  St.  George's, 
Bloomsbur)'.  He  also  gained  the  degree  of  associate  of  the  Royal  College 
of  Organists  (A.  C.  O.).  In  1882  at  Chicago  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  and  was  re-elected  in  1883  at 
Providence.  The  following  year  he  organized  the  American  College  of 
Musicians,  became  its  president  and  has  remained  so  ever  since.  He  was 
also  musical  director  and  organist  of  the  Second  Bapti.st  church,  St.  Louis, 
from  1879,  and  did  an  immen.se  amount  of  work  as  a  teacher  in  that  city. 
He  removed  in  1887  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  where  a  magnificent  new  church 
is  now  (i88g)  on  its  way  to  completion,  and  in  it  Mr.  Bowman  will  pre- 
side at  the  splendid  organ  which  is  being  built  from  his  specifications. 
As  a  musical  director  Mr.  Bowman  endeavors  to  adapt  the  Wagnerian 
theory  to  church  music,  and  to  follow,  in  the  musical  service,  as  far  as 
practicable,  the  line  of  thought  pursued  by  the  preacher.  That  sucla  an 
ideal  service  is  desirable  cannot  be  doubted,  but  to  carry  out  the  theorj' 
requires  tact,  judgment,  quick  perception,  an  extensive  repertoire,  and, 
above  all,  sympathetic  relation  with  the  methods  of  thought  and  deliver>' 
employed  by  the  preacher,  that  can  come  only  from  long  association 
together.  It  speaks  volumes  for  Mr.  Bowman's  ability  as  an  organist 
that  he  is  able  to  carry  out  his  theory  so  successfully.  Mr.  Bowman  is 
also  actively  engaged  as  a  teacher  of  organ,  pianoforte  and  theory  in  New 
York  city. 


E.   M.   Bo\v:\iAN 


Robert  Bonner. 

This  eminent  musical  educator  was  born  at  Brighton,  Eng.,  March 
lo,  1854.  He  came  of  a  musical  stock,  and  after  pursuing  his  musical 
studies  as  far^  as  possible  in  his  native  town  and  under  the  nearest  good 
teachers,  he  was  sent  to  Leipzig,  from  whence  he  was  graduated  in  1868, 
having  been  a  classmate  there  with  a  number  of  other  well  known  teachers, 
Mr.  John  C.  Fillmore  being  one  of  the  best  known.  He  came  to  America 
about  eighteen  years  ago  and  settled  at  Providence,  R.  I.,  where  he  has 
resided  ever  since.  He  is  organist  of  St.  John's  church,  secretary  of  the 
American  College  of  Musicians,  president  of  the  Rhode  Island  Music 
Teachers'  Association,  and  has  a  large  business  as  teacher  of  pianoforte, 
organ,  violin  and  musical  theory.  Mr.  Bonner  is  an  excellent  all-around 
musician,  and  a  careful  and  capable  business  man.  He  has  written  a 
number  of  ambitious  works  of  church  music,  and  has  published  quite  a 
number  of  compositions  for  piano  and  voice.  He  was  married  just  before 
coming  to  America,  in  1869. 

William  Horatio  Clarke. 

This  well  known  concert  organist,  musical  litterateur  and  teacher, 
was  born  of  an  old  New  England  family  at  Newton,  a  suburb  of  Boston, 
in  1840.  His  ancestrj^  was  distinctly  musical,  and  the  inclination  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  so  pronounced  in  this  direction  that  when  a  mere 
boy  he  was  able  to  play  upon  almost  every  kind  of  instrument.  At  the 
age  of  nine  he  began  to  compo.se  church  music,  and  when  about  ten  he 
selected  the  organ  as  his  favorite  —  a  decision  which  he  has  never  since 
repented.  In  1856  he  was  organist  in  his  native  town,  leaving  that 
position  for  one  at  the  verj'  large  organ  in  Berkely  street,  Boston,  in  1859.' 
Changing  once  for  a  position  at  Woburn,  and  back  again,  he  remained 
here  until  1872,  when  he  removed  to  Dayton,  O.,  and  still  later  to  Indian- 
apolis, Ind.  In  1884  he  returned  to  Woburn,  and  now  resides  in  Reading. 
Mr.  Clarke  is  one  of  the  most  universally  gifted  men  in  the  musical  pro- 
fession. As  a  musical  author  he  has  produced  a  large  number  of  text 
books  for  the  organ  and  other  instruments,  which  have  proven  uniformly 
successful,  and  have  been  of  great  practical  value  to  students.  As  a 
concert  organist  he  has  maintained  series  of  free  organ  recitals  for  many 
years,  in  which  he  has  brought  forward  a  great  number  of  compositions 
of  all  schools.  Perhaps  the  most  singular  incident  in  his  long  and  varied 
career  was  his  engagement  as  preacher  and  organist  at  the  same  time, 
which  happened  at  Woburn,  Mass. ,  and  continued  for  several  years.  He  " 
has  five  sons  who  inherit  his  musical  talents. 

544 


/i^n.  JO(natc(r  "tauli^. 


MUSIC   TEACHERS'    NATIONAL   ASSOCIATION. 


^1 


fj|^l|«  RIOR  to  the  organization  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Asso- 
l^lsli:  ciation  several  efforts  had  been  made  for  a  like  purpose,  but 
E?^  without  success.  These  futile  attempts,  which  developed  the 
...  J  weak  points,  or  causes  for  failure,  together  with  the  experience  of 
men  who  had  for  many  years  been  identified  with  the  organization 
and  conducting  of  musical  conventions,  countj-,  district  and  state, 
naturally  and  logicallj'  prepared  the  way  for  a  more  practical  effort.  The 
subject  having  been  under  discussion  for  some  time,  with  leading  teachers 
and  musicians,  Mr.  Theodore  Presser,  music  teacher  in  the  Ladies'  Semi- 
nar>',  Delaware,  Ohio;  Mr.  N.  Coe  Stewart,  superintendent  of  singing  in 
the  schools  of  Cleveland;  W.  H.  Dana,  principal  of  Dana's  Musical 
Institute,  of  Warren,  Ohio,  and  others,  issued  a  call  for  a  meeting  in 
Delaware,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  national  association.  The 
meeting  was  held  the  last  week  in  December,  1876.  An  important  his- 
torical record  is  the  list  of  charter  members,  as  follows:  From  Ohio, 
Theodore  Presser,  Anna  M.  Nation,  T.  C.  O'Kane,  Emma  Slough, 
Jennie  Hussey,  Miss  G.  Humphrej-s,  of  Delaware;  N.  Coe  Stewart,  of 
Cleveland;  W.  H.  Dana  and  A.  J.  Phillips,  of  Warren;  S.  A.  Collins,  of 
Sandusky;  J.  D.  Luse,  of  Norwalk;  W.  B.  Colson,  Jr.,  Geo.  R.  Housel 
and  N.  L.  Glover,  of  Akron;  J.  Albert  Davis  and  E.  Eugene  Davis,  of 
Prospect;  Minnie  S.  King  and  J.  J.  Houser,  of  Westerville;  Jas.  H.  Fill- 
more, of  Cincinnati;  Imogene  Miller,  of  Tiffin;  Ella  M.  Herritt,  J.  Addi- 
son Brown  and  Wm.  F.  Dann,  of  Xenia;  Katie  E.  Short,  of  Winchester; 
Wm.  H.  Pontius,  of  Ada;  Miss  J.  Myers  and  Alia  Failor,  of  Bucyrus; 
J.  W.  Christy,  of  Etna;  David  Reimer  and  Miss  E.  J.  Myer,  of  London; 
C.  C.  Williams  and  C.  C.  Case,  of  Gustavus;  Jas.  A.  Porter,  of  Galion; 
F.  B.  Rice  and  C.  B.  Cady,  of  Oberlin;  IMiss  N.  E.  Moulton  and  M.  N. 
Dane,  of  Toledo;  D.  T.  Davis,  of  Mt.  Gilead;  A.  Knox,  of  Granville; 
H.  H.  Johnson,  of  Havana;  Nettie  Gettle,  of  New  London;  E.  S.  Lorenz, 
of  Dayton,  and  Karl  Merz,  of  Oxford.  From  Indiana,  G.  M.  Cole  and 
August  Rue,  of  Richmond;  Emma  L.  Johnson,  H.  H.  ShuU,  Wm.  E. 
Bates,  Mrs.  Jennie  E.  Bates  and  Isadore  Gilbert,  of  Columbus.  From 
Pennsylvania,   Laura    E.    Risler,   of   Anville;    Spencer   M.  Free,  of  New 

546 


Freedom,  and  Jas.  McGranahan,  of  Meadville.     From  Michigan,  F.  M. 
Ford,  of  Morenci,  and  Geo.  \V.  Chadwick,  of  Olivet.     From  Illinois,  Geo. 

F.  Root  and  H.  vS.  Perkins.     From  New  York,  J.  William  vSuffern.     From 
Massachusetts,  E.  Tourjeeand  Luther  Whiting  Mason.     From  Maryland, 

G.  W.  Walker,  of  Moravia. 

The  officers  were,  Eben  Tourjee,  president;  Theo.  Presser,  secretary, 
and  G.  M.  Cole,  treasurer.  Programme  committee,  W.  S.  B.  Mathews,  N. 
Coe  Stewart  and  F.  B.  Rice.  Papers  were  read  b}-  Geo.  F.  Root,  F.  W. 
Root,  H.  S.  Perkins.  H.  W.  Fairbank,  Geo.  W.  Chadwick,  Jas.  McGran- 
ahan, Rev.  C.  H.  Payne,  D.  D.,  L.  W.  Mason,  N.  Coe  Stewart,  W.  H. 
Dana,  J.  A.  Brown  and  Eben  Tourjee.  The  convention  was  in  session 
three  days.  A  constitution  was  adopted  setting  forth  the  objects  of  the 
association  and  for  its  government.  The  second  meeting  was  held  July 
2,  3  and  4,  1878,  at  Chautauqua,  N.  Y.,  with  an  attendance  of  thirt}-- 
eight.  President  Tourjee  not  being  present,  J.  A.  Butterfield  was  chosen 
president  pro  tcm.  At  this  meeting  the  first  piano  recital  was  given  under 
the  auspices  of  the  association,  bj-  Wm.  H.  Sherwood. 

The  third  meeting  was  held  in  Cincinnati,  July  3,  4,  and  5,  1S79, 
with  Rudolf  de  Roode,  of  Lexington,  Ky.,  president;  J.  A.  Butterfield, 
of  Chicago,  secretary,  and  J.  H.  Fillmore,  of  Cincinnati,  treasurer.  The 
programme  committee  was  J.  Wm.  Suflfern,  of  New  York;  J.  S.Van  Cleve, 
of  Cincinnati,  and  Wm.  B.  Chamberlain,  of  Oberlin.  There  were  175 
members  in  attendance.  At  this  meeting  musical  programmes  were  for  the 
first  time  introduced  as  a  part  of  the  regular  exercises,  and  a  concert  was 
tendered  the  members  by  the  management  of  the  Thomas  orchestra. 

The  fourth  meeting  was  held  in  Buffalo,  June  29,  30  and  July  i,  18S0, 
with  F.  B.  Rice,  of  Oberlin,  O.,  president;  Carl  Seiler,  of  Philadelphia, 
secretary,  and  John  G.  Parkhurst,  of  Albany,  treasurer.  Executive 
committee,  Chas  W.  Sykes,  of  Buffalo;  W.  F.  Heath,  of  Ft.  Wayne,  and 
E.  M.  Bowman,  of  St.  Louis.  The  membership  was  151.  The  social 
feature  was  prominent  at  this  meeting. 

The  fifth  meeting  was  held  in  Albany,  Jul}'  5,  6  and  7,  1881,  with 
a  membership  of  304.  President,  F.  B.  Rice;  .secretary  and  treasurer, 
Edgar  S.  Werner,  of  Albany.  Organ  recitals  were  for  the  first  time  a 
part  of  the  programme.  They  were  given  \y\  A.  A.  Stanlej-,  of  Providence, 
and  Eugene  Thayer,  of  New  York.  Mr.  Bowman,  then  in  Europe,  sent  a 
letter  which  was  read  at  the  meeting,  describing  the  Royal  College  of 
Organists  in  England,  and  propo.sed  the  organization  of  a  similar  institu- 
tion in  America  applicable  to  all  l^ranches  of  the  music  teaching  profes- 
sion. This  was  an  important  meeting,  and  new  life  was  given  to  the 
association. 

54S 


The  sixth  meeting  was  held  in  Chicago,  July  5,  6  and  7,  1882,  with 
a  membership  of  158.  President,  Arthur  Mees,  of  Cincinnati;  secretary 
and  treasurer,  Edgar  S.  Werner,  of  Albany,  who  not  being  present,  W.  F. 
Heath,  of  Ft.  Wayne  was  chosen  to  serve.  Executive  committee,  Chas. 
W.  Sykes,  H.  S.  Perkins  and  F.  W.  Root,  all  of  Chicago.  The  small 
attendance  at  this  meeting  was  the  result  of  delayed  'preparation  and 
insufficient  announcement,  occasioned  by  a  premeditated  postponement  of 
the  meeting  that  year  by  Messrs.  Root  and  Sykes,  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee, who  reported  their  decision  to  President  Mees,  while  Mr.  Perkins, 
the  other  member  of  the  committee,  was  in  California.  When  the  latter 
returned  in  Maj'  and  learned  of  the  postponement,  he  reversed  the  decis- 
ion, and  immediately  took  vigorous  measures  for  holding  the  meeting. 
His  energy  turned  into  success  what  seemed,  for  a  time,  destined  to  be  an 
ignominious  failure,  and  a  most  unfortunate  disaster  to  the  Music  Teachers' 
National  Association.  Mr.  Perkins  arranged  the  entire  programme  and 
managed  the  finances. 

The  essays  and  musical  programmes  were  of  an  excellent  order,  the 
latter  including  several  organ  recitals,  by  Clarence  Eddy  and  others,  with 
recitals  and  chamber  concerts.  In  preparing  the  programme  for  this 
meeting,  Mr.  Perkins  established  the  principle  of  not  compensating 
pianists  or  other  artists  for  their  services  at  recitals  or  concerts  given  b\' 
the  association.  The  subject  was  discussed  of  organizing  a  college  of 
musicians,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  those  desiring  to  teach,  and 
issuing  certificates  of  various  grades. 

The  seventh  meeting  was  held  in  Providence,  July  4,  5  and  6,  1883, 
with  a  membership  of  312.  President,  E.  M.  Bowman;  secretary  and 
treasurer,  W.  F.  Heath.  Executive  committee,  Robert  Bonner,  A.  A. 
Stanley  and  H.  E.  Holt.  The  literary  and  musical  programmes  were  of 
a  high  order,  and  renewed  faith  in  the  success  of  the  association  was 
gained  at  this  meeting.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  present  a  plan 
for  the  organization  of  a  national  college  of  teachers,  consisting  of  E.  M. 
Bowman,  W.  H.  Sherwood,  Carlyle  Petersilea,  S.  B.  Whitney  and  N. 
Coe  Stewart.  The  vocal  and  instrumental  divisions  of  the  programme 
for  hearing  essays  and  discussions  were  held  in  different  places.  This 
experiment  proved  to  be  not  for  the  best  interests  of  the  individual  mem- 
bers or  the  as.sociation.  A  committee  was  appointed,  with  Willard  Burr 
as  chairman,  to  consider  the  question  of  an  international  copyright  law, 
and  report  at  the  next  meeting.  This  was  the  first  step  taken  in  the 
interest  of  American  composers.  The  citizens  of  Providence  tendered 
the  association  a  steamboat  excursion  down  the  river  to  Rocky  Point, 
and  a  clam-bake  dinner.  : 

*  549 


The  eighth  annual  meeting  was  held  in  Cleveland,  with  a  member- 
ship of  575.  President,  E.  M.  Bowman  ;  secretary  and  treasurer,  W.  F. 
Heath.  Executive  committee,  N.  Coe  Stewart,  Dr.  P.  H.  Cronin  and 
C.  L.  Capin.  In  addition  to  the  very  excellent  order  of  exercises  two 
important  steps  were  taken,  viz.:  the  performance  of  an  entire  programme 
of  piano  works  bj-  American  composers,  by  Calixa  Lavallee,  of  Boston,  and 
the  organization  of  the  American  College  of  Muiscians,  all  of  which  pro- 
duced a  very  general  conviction  that  the  association  was  going  to  become 
"  national  "  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name.  Congress  was  petitioned  to  enact 
an  international  copyright  law  for  the  protection  of  American  composers. 
At  the  recital  made  up  of  works  of  American  composers,  the  following 
were  represented  :  Arthur  Foote,  Wilson  G.  Smith,  Stephen  A.  Emer}', 
J.  H.  Beck,  S.  G.  Pratt,  John  Orth,  William  Mason,  J.  K.  Paine,  Louis 
Maas,  Dudley  Buck,  Mme.  Luisa  Cappiani,  W.  H.  Sherwood,  F.  Dewey, 
G.  W.  Chadwick,  W.  W.  Gilchrist,  Carlyle  Petersilea,  Emil  Liebling  and 
C.  L.  Capin. 

The  ninth  annual  meeting  was  held  in  New  York,  July  2,  3  and  4, 
1884,  with  vS.  N.  Penfield,  president,  and  A.  A.  Stanley,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Business  committee,  A.  R.  Parsons,  Carlyle  Petersilea  and 
H.  S.  Perkins.  Programme  committee,  W.  W.  Gilchrist,  F.  B.  Rice  and 
Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld.  The  membership  at  this  meeting  was  630.  The  policy 
as  outlined  at  Cleveland  was  carried  out  by  the  employment,  for  the  first 
time,  of  an  orchestra,  chorus  and  soloists  for  two  evening  concerts,  one  of 
which  was  devoted  exclusively  to  American  composers.  Thej'  were 
given  in  the  Academy  of  Music.  A  noteworthy  event  was  the  appoint- 
ment of  a  committee,  at  the  request  of  the  Department  of  Education  at 
Washington,  to  a.ssist  in  preparing  a  report  on  the  state  of  musical 
instruction  in  the  public  schools. 

At  the  American  composers'  concert  the  following  authors  were  rep- 
resented :  Frederic  Grant  Gleason,  Calixa  Lavallee,  John  K.  Paine, 
Louis  Maas,  S.  G.  Pratt,  Con.stantin  Sternberg,  Willard  Burr,  Jr.,  Will- 
iam Mason,  Dudley  Buck,  Robert  Goldbeck  and  S.  N.  Penfield.  The 
board  of  examiners  appointed  at  Cleveland  formulated  the  standard  of 
attainment  and  outlined  the  course  to  be  pursued  with  candidates  for  the 
three  degrees.  Associate,  Fellow  and  Master,  in  the  American  College  of 
Musicians.  The  departments  included  piano,  organ,  violin,  voice  and 
music  in  public  schools,  with  three  members  of  the  examining  board  in 
each.  At  this  meeting  the  scheme  was  adopted  for  the  examination  of 
American  compositions  to  be  performed  under  the  auspices  and  at  the 
meetings  of  the  association.  The  examining  committee  consisted  of  Wil- 
lard Burr,  Jr.,  W.  W.  Gilchrist  and  Frederic  Grant  Gleason.     The  by- 


law  was  waived  for  the  first  time,  so  as  to  permit  the  exhibition  of  music 
publications,  devices  and  inventions  designed  for  teaching,  and  helpful  to 
the  teaching  profession,  within  the  building  where  the  convention  was 
held.  H.  S.  Perkins,  on  behalf  of  the  association,  presented  President  Pen- 
field  with  a  beautiful  bronze  medallion  vase  in  a  fitting  speech,  to  which 
the  recipient  pleasantly  responded.  On  the  last  day  of  the  convention 
Mrs.  Jeannette  M.  Thurber  complimented  the  members  of  the  association 
with  a  steamboat  excursion  down  the  bay. 

The  tenth  annual  meeting  was  held  in  Boston  June  30,  July  i  and  2, 

1886,  with  A.  A.  Stanley,  president ;  and  Theo.  Presser,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Executive  committee,  S.  B.  Whitney,  W.  F.  Heath  and  Max 
Leckner.  Programme  committee,  Calixa  Lavallee,  F.  B.  Rice  and  A.  R. 
Parsons.  The  membership  was  increased  to  952.  A  large  chorus, 
orchestra  and  soloists  supplied  material  for  two  evening  concerts  on  a 
large  scale,  both  devoted  to  American  composers,  while  recitals  of  piano, 
vocal  and  chamber  concert  music  diversified  the  daily  sessions.  Two 
significant  features  were  the  presence  of  a  committee  of  four  from  the 
Ontario  Music  Teachers'  Association  (of  Canada)  and  the  reception  of  a 
greeting  from  the  Society  of  Professional  Musicians  of  England.  Mr.  W. 
T.  Miller  reported  on  the  subject  of  Musical  Pitch,  and  advocated  the 
French  pitch,  A3^435,  as  the  standard  to  be  recognized  by  the  associa- 
tion. The  following  American  (resident)  composers  were  represented  at 
the  two  evening  concerts :  Johan  H.  Beck,  Otto  Floersheim,  O.  B. 
Brown,  A.  A.  Stanley,  G.  W.  Chadwick,  Dudley  Buck,  Calixa  Lavallee, 
J.  C.  D.  Parker,  John  A.  Brockhoven,  John  K.  Paine,  Louis  Maas,  H.  W. 
Parker,  Wm.  Rhode,  Ad.  M.  Foerster,  Arthur  Bird,  Edgar  S.  Kelley  and 
Arthur  Whitney. 

The  eleventh  meeting  was  held  in  Indianapolis,  July  5,  6,  7  and  8, 

1887,  with  Calixa  Lavallee,  president,  and  Theo.  Presser,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Executive  committee,  Max  Leckner,  G.  M.  Cole  and  Johannes 
Wolfram.  Programme  Committee,  S.  N.  Penfield,  J.  C.  Fillmore  and 
Clarence  Eddy.  Examining  committee  of  American  compositions, 
Dudley  Buck,  H.  S.  Schradieck  and  Geo.  E.  Whiting,  with  Arthur  Mees, 
alternate.  The  membership  was  722.  President  Lavallee  being  ill  and 
unable  to  preside,  W.  F.  Heath  was  chosen  president  pro  tern  and  occu- 
pied the  chair  after  the  first  day. 

The  American  College  of  Musicians  held  its  second  annual  examina- 
tions, which  resulted  in  the  admission  of  thirteen  candidates.  Three 
choral  and  orchestral  coneerts  were  given  by  a  large  chorus  of  Indianapolis 
singers  and  the  \'an  der  Stucken  orchestra  of  New  York.  Recitals  of 
instrumental  and  vocal  music  interspersed  the  daily  exercises.     The  presi- 

551 


dent  elect  was  requested  to  appoint  a  delegate  to  attend  the  next  meeting 
of  the  Society  of  Professional  Musicians  in  England.  Calixa  Lavallee  was 
appointed.  Under  a  like  motion,  N.  Coe  Stewart  was  appointed  delegate 
to  the  Ontario  (Canada)  Music  Teachers'  Association.  At  the  American 
composers'  concert  the  following  were  represented:  W.  W.  Gilchrist,  F. 
X.  Arens,  Geo.  E.  Whiting,  Otto  Floersheim,  and  G.  W.  Chadwick.  The 
session  closed  with  a  grand  reception  at  the  state  house  by  the  Hon.  I. 
P.  Gra}-,  governor  of  Indiana. 

The  twelfth  annual  meeting  was  held  in  Chicago  Jul}'  3,  4,  5  and  6, 

1888,  with  Max  Leckner,  president,  and  H.  S.  Perkins,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Executive  committee.  Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld,  Hans  Balatka  and  H. 
B.  Roney.  Programme  committee,  Louis  Maas,  A.  R.  Parsons  and 
Frederic  W.  Root.  Examining  committee  of  American  compositions, 
Calixa  Lavallee,  A.  A.  Stanley  and  Otto  vSinger,  with  J.  H.  Beck,  alternate. 
The  attendance  was  the  largest  in  the  history  of  the  association,  the  mem- 
bership reaching  a  grand  total  of  i ,  649.  The  opening  evening  was  devoted 
to  a  social  gathering  at  the  Palmer  house  and  Art  Institute.  The  liter- 
arj^  exercises,  recitals  and  chamber  concerts  were  held  in  Central 
Music  hall  and  the  three  evening  concerts  in  the  Exposition  building.  The 
latter,  consisting  of  choral  and  orchestral  works  bj'  a  Chicago  chorus  and 
the  Thomas  orchestra,  with  first-class  solo  artists,  were  largely  patronized. 
Mr.  Lavallee  made  a  report  as  delegate  to  the  Society  of  Professional 
Musicians  of  England,  and  Mr.  Stewart  as  delegate  to  the  Ontario  Mu.sic 
Teachers'  Association.  A  resolution  was  passed  inviting  Mr.  Edward  Chad- 
field,  honorable  secretarj^  of  the  i-ociety  of  England,  to  represent  his  society 
as  delegate,  and  become  the  guest  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Asso- 
ciation at  the  next  meeting. 

The  thirteenth  meeting  was  held  in  Philadelphia  July  2,3,4  and  5, 

1889,  with  W.  F.  Heath,  president,  H.  S.  Perkins,  secretary,  and  \V.  H. 
Dana,  treasurer.  Executive  committee,  Richard  Zeckwer,  Thos.  a- 
Becket  and  Fred  vS.  Law.  Programme  committee,  Calixa  Lavallee,  W. 
W.  Gilchrist  and  J.  H.  Hahn.  The  membership  up  to  the  close  of  the 
meeting  was  about  600.  The  working-day  sessions,  which  were  reduced 
to  three,  were  held  in  the  Academy  of  Music.  '  Three  evening  concerts  were 
given,  one  organ  and  two  orchestral  and  choral,  conducted  b}-  members  of 
the  association.  Several  excellent  chamber  concerts  were  given  at  the  Acad- 
emy. The  following  American  resident  composers  were  represented  in  the 
programmes:  Wilson  G.  Smith,  G.  W.  Chadwick,  Ad.  M.  Foerster, 
Gu.stav  Hille,  W.  W.  Gilchrist,  F.  Hahr,  Herman  Mohr,  Richard  Bur- 
meister,  Bruno  Oscar  Klein,  Johan  H.  Beck,  E.  C.  Phelps,  F.  Brandeis, 
H.  S.  Cutler  and  Hcnrv  Holden  Huss.     At  this  meeting  the  association 


552 


jyiy^^^'^t^n^^^^  • 


553 


was  honored  by  the  presence  of  Mr.  Edward  Chadfield,  of  Derby,  Hug., 
honorable  secretary  of  the  Society  of  Professional  Musicians  of  England,  as 
officical  delegate;  also  Mr.  John  Towers,  of  Manchester,  Eng.,  both  of 
whom  read  papers  and  participated  in  the  discussions.  A  very  pleasant 
feature  of  this  meeting  was  the  banquet,  held  the  evening  of  the  first  day. 
An  important  step  was  taken,  recommended  by  President  Heath,  to  raise 
an  orchestral  and  choral  concert  endowment  fund  with  which  to  more 
effectively  perform  the  works  of  American  composers  and  to  advance  the 
interests  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  A.  R.  Parsons 
was  elected  president  and  H.  S.  Perkins  and  W.  H.  Dana  re-elected 
secretary  and  treasurer,  respectively.  Detroit  was  selected  as  the  place  of 
meeting  the  first  week  in  July,  1890.  The  progress  of  the  Music  Teach- 
ers' National  Association  since  its  humble  beginning  has  not  been  sur- 
passed by  an}-  similar  organization. 

Henry  Southwick  Perkin.s. 

This  active  and  prominent  musician  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  Vt. , 
March  20,  1883.  His  first  musical  instruction  was  received  from  his 
father,  who  for  fort}'  j-ears  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  singing 
teachers  of  the  State.  He  obtained  his  regular  course  of  musical  instruc- 
tion in  Boston.  For  several  j^ears  he  taught  singing  in  public  schools 
and  conducted  local  choral  societies.  His  specialties  are  voice  culture 
and  singing,  theory,  normal  instruction  to  teachers  and  methods  of  sight- 
singing  and  conducting.  In  1867-69,  he  was  professor  of  music  in  the 
University  of  Iowa,  and  was  principal  of  the  Iowa  Academy  of  Music  at 
Iowa  City  for  five  consecutive  j-ears,  also  the  Kansas  Normal  Music 
School  for  five  consecutive  summers.  For  the  past  twenty-five  years 
about  one-half  of  his  time  has  been  devoted  to  conducting  musical  con- 
ventions, festivals  and  normal  music  schools,  including  all  the  states  and- 
territories.  He  has  edited  thirty-one  singing  books,  ranging  from  a  set 
of  graded  music  readers  to  choir  anthem  books  and  festival  chorus  books, 
some  of  which  have  been  exceedingly  popular.  His  (copyright)  chart 
and  blackboard,  or  method  for  an  elementary  sight  singing  and  reading 
course  is  highly  recommended  b}^  man)'  of  the  best  vocal  and  instru- 
mental teachers.  In  1875  he  visited  Europe  for  stud)^  and  observation, 
traveling  into  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs.  During  this  tour  he  studied 
voice  in  Paris  under  Wartel  and  in  Florence  luider  Vannuccini.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association, 
and  read  a  paper  on  T/ie  Object  of  Musical  Associations  and  Conventions. 
He  has  held  every  oflice  in  the  association  excepting  that  of  president, 
and  is  believed  by  many  to  have  saved  it  from  death  in  1882,  when  it  met 

554 


^yf-A/C--*^-^^  ^/ocM^^    L/o^^^^'^^o^iA^ 


555 


for  the  first  time  in  Chicago.  The  other  two  members  of  the  executive 
committee  having  deserted  it,  he  was  responsible  for  the  entire  expense, 
as  well  as  for  getting  up  the  programme.  He  inaugurated  at  this  meet- 
ing the  principle  that  no  artist  should  be  paj^ed  for  playing  or  singing  at 
the  annual  meetings,  which  policy  has  been  adhered  to  since,  excepting, 
of  course,  orchestra  players.  In  1886  he  organized  the  Illinois  Music 
Teachers'  Association,  was  chosen  president  and  re-elected  for  1888,  and 
again  for  1889-90,  at  the  meeting  held  in  Peoria.  He  has  done  consider- 
able literarj'  work,  especially  as  correspondent  of  musical  journals  and 
magazines,  and  as  musical  critic.  Socially  and  musically  Dr.  Perkins 
stands  among  the  first  in  the  profession,  a  man  of  energy,  talent  and 
efl&cienc}-. 

Albert  Rcss  Parsons. 

This  accomplished  teacher,  writer  and  lecturer  was  born  at  San- 
dusky, O.,  Sept.  16,  1847,  of  early  New  England  ancestry.  His  first 
lessons  were  taken,  in  1854,  from  R.  Denton.  Two  j-ears  later  he  played 
for  the  first  time  in  public,  standing  at  the  instrument  because  he  could 
not  reach  the  pedal  when  seated.  His  parents  retnoved,  in  1857,  to 
Indianapolis,  and  there,  for  several  ^-ears,  he  officiated  as  organist  in  one 
of  the  churches  of  that  city.  At  last,  in  1863,  it  was  decided  that  he 
should  leave  home  and  prepare  in  earnest  for  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion. On  coming  to  New  York,  he  studied  piano,  harmony  and  counter- 
point under  Dr.  Frederic  Louis  Ritter.  His  subsequent  career  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows:  In  1867  he  went  to  Leipzig,  where  he  studied  at 
the  conservatory  until  1869,  under  Moscheles,  Reinecke,  Papperitz, 
Wenzel,  Oscar  Paul,  E.  F.  Richter  and  Ferdinand  David.  In  1870  he 
was  studying  at  the  Pianists'  High  School,  Berlin,  having  Tausig,  Ehlert 
and  Weitzmann  as  teachers,  and,  in  187 1,  at  the  New  Academy  of  Music, 
under  Kullak.  He  received  much  stimulus  and  inspiration  from  personal 
contact  with  Wagner,  Liszt,  Rubinstein  and  Von  Biilow.  Since  1872  he 
has  been  located  in  New  York  city,  as  pianist,  organist,  teacher,  com- 
poser and  writer.  He  is  the  translator  of  Wagner's  Bcctliovcn  and  the 
editor  of  the  American  edition  of  Kullak's  Chopin.  He  has  lectured  on 
musical  topics  in  various  cities  and  written  many  articles  for  the  nnisical 
press. 

Mr.  Parsons  has  published  the  Science  of  Pianoforte  Practice,  a  trans- 
lation of  Hollander's  edition  of  Schumann's  piano  works,  and  has  lectured 
on  The  Finding  of  Christ  through  Art;  or,  Richard  JTagner  as  a  Theolo- 
giaji;  on  The  Principles  of  Expression  Applied  to  the  Piaiioforte,  read  at  a 
late  meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Teachers'  Association,  at  Hudson; 
and  on  Teaching  Reforms,   at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  M.  T.  N.  A.,  at 

556 


Philadelphia.  Among  his  compositions  are,  Night  Has  a  Thousand  Eyes, 
Break,  Break,  Te  Dcum  and  numerous  other  songs,  etc.  He  is  highh' 
esteemed  as  a  teacher,  and  is  an  active  worker  in  the  M.  T.  N.  A.,  and 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  American  College  of  Musicians;  he  is  also 
director  and  examiner  of  the  pianoforte  department  of  the  Metropolitan 
Conservatory  of  Music. 

J.  C.  Fillmore. 

The  name  of  J.  C.  Fillmore  is  widely  known  throughout  the  United 
States,  not  only  as  the  founder  and  director  of  an  important  musical  educa- 
tional institution,  but  as  well  as  the  author  of  text  books  on  music 
which  have  become  standard,  and  are  in  use  in  many  leading  schools,  and 
of  an  admirably  written  History  of  Pianoforte  Music,  a  work  evincing 
scholarl}^  attainment,  laborious  research  and  profound  knowledge  of  musical 
science  on  the  part  of  its  author.  Mr.  Fillmore  was  born  in  New  London 
county.  Conn.,  in  1843.  In  1855  he  removed  with  his  famil}-  to  Ohio,  and 
from  1862  to  1865  was  a  student  at  Oberlin  College,  where  he  completed  a 
literary  equipment  that  has  been  of  service  to  him  and  of  advantage  to  the 
interest  to  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  life.  Earh'  in  life  he  developed 
a  strong  predilection  for  music,  and  this  passion  ultimateh-  dominated  his 
ambition,  and  he  determined  in  1866  to  perfect  his  equipment  for  a  mu- 
sical career  by  stud}-  in,  at  that  time,  the  world's  centre  of  musical  education 
—  Leipzig.  Here  he  had  the  advantage  of  the  instruction  of  such  masters 
as  Doctor  Papperitz,  E.  F.  Richter,  Moritz  Hauptman,  and  Baendel. 
Returning  to  America,  he  entered  upon  his  life  work  as  a  musical  edu- 
cator. In  1867-68  he  was  director  of  the  Consei-vatorj^  of  Music  of  Oberlin 
College,  his  alma  mater,  and  from  1868  to  1877  was  professor  of  music  at 
Ripon  College,  Wis.,  his  marked  success  in  teaching  each  j-ear  adding  to 
his  musical  reputation  and  importance.  From  the  latter  year  to  1884 
he  occupied  a  similar  position  in  the  Milwaukee  College  for  Ladies,  and  in 
1884  founded  the  Milwaukee  School  of  Music,  of  which  he  has  since  been 
and  still  remains  the  director,  and  where  he  has  performed  important  serv- 
ice to  the  cause  of  musical  culture  in  the  west.  In  1883  he  published 
the  History  of  Piajiofortc  Music,  a  work  widely  read  and  much  dis- 
cussed ;  in  1885  his  New  Lessons  in  Harmotiy,  was  published,  followed 
in  1887  bj'  Lessons  in  Musical  History.  These  two  works  are  exten- 
sively used  b}'  musical  educators  throughout  the  United  States.  Mr.  Fill- 
more has  an  extensive  range  of  friends  in  musical  circles,  bj-  whom  he  is 
not  less  admired  for  his  labors  in  behalf  of  the  art  in  America  than  for  the 
geniality  of  a  sunny  disposition  and  those  amiable  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart  which  so  irresistibly  attract  and  retain  friendships. 

558 


559 


W.  F.  Heath. 

The  name  of  this  gentleman  will  be  gratefully  familiar  to  very  many 
readers  of  this  book,  from  his  long  and  eminent  ser\-ices  in  connection  with 
the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  Mr.  Heath  was  born  at  Corinth, 
Vt.,  June  II,  1843.  From  his  childhood  he  displaj^ed  a  passion  for  music 
and  a  thirst  for  the  acquisition  of  musical  knowledge.  During  the  war 
he  was  leader  of  an  Illinois  regimental  band,  which  led  the  sad  procession 
on  the  occasion  of  the  burial  of  the  lamented  Abraham  Lincoln.  After 
the  war  he  went  to  Boston,  and  studied  there  under  the  best  teachers  ot 
that  musical  centre,  after  which  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  the  pro- 
fession as  musical  instructor  in  the  normal  school  at  Iowa  City.  Subse- 
quentl}-,  he  filled  a  similar  position  in  the  normal  school  at  Marengo,  la., 
and  in  1873  ^^'^^  called  to  the  post  of  superintendent  of  music  in  the 
public  schools  at  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.  Here  he  has  been  conspicuous  for  his 
ability  and  success,  as  well  as  an  unselfish  and  indefatigable  zeal  in  the 
promotion  of  the  cause  of  music,  both  in  the  city  of  his  residence  and  in 
the  wider  sphere.  In  tlie.se  public  schools  he  has  introduced  a  course  of 
study  of  music  pursued  in  the  same  manner  as  any  regular  branch  of 
public  school  education,  with  regular  grades  of  promotion,  based  on 
thorough  examinations.  When  he  first  entered  upon  this  work  there 
were  1,800  pupils  in  these  schools;  to-da}-  there  are  more  than  3,000,  and, 
as  the  result  of  his  system  and  labor,  it  is  seldom  that  a  bo}'  or  girl  leaves 
.school  without  having  at  least  acquired  the  accomplishment  of  reading  at 
sight.  Mr.  Heath,  in  addition  to  this  work,  has  been  the  contributor  of 
many  valuable  articles  to  musical  journals,  and  is  the  author  of  very 
important  works  of  instruction,  including  Vocal  Exercise  Charts,  for  use 
in  the  school  room  or  chorus  classes,  and  Common  School  Music  Readers, 
a  graded  course  of  instruction  covering  the  ground  from  the  primary  to  the 
high  school.  He  has  also  composed  main^  popular  songs  of  much  musical 
merit.  In  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association  he  has  been  an 
energetic  and  valued  member.  He  first  joined  it  in  1878,  at  the  Cincinnati 
meeting,  and  it  is  largely  to  his  personal  enthusiasm,  indomitable  perse- 
verance and  unremitting  effort  that  the  association  owes  its  survival  from 
difficulties  which  at  one  time  threatened  its  existence.  He  has  always 
been  active  in  organizing  the  annual  meetings  for  the  best  results,  and  has 
personally  contributed  largely  to  their  success.  For  three  j-ears  he  was 
secretary-treasurer  of  the  organization,  and  the  same  number  of  times 
president  of  the  state  association.  Mr.  Heath  is  personally  a  gentleman 
of  cultm-e  and  refinement  and  a  splendid  representative  of  the  self-edu- 
cated American  musician. 

560 


^K^^3' MOXG  the  teachers  of  music  who  stand  highest  the  country 
S%ffilir'  through  there  are  man}-  ladies  entitled  to  a  place  in  the  very  first 
^\\'k^~«  rank,  whether  we  grade  them  by  the  breadth  and  richness  of 
^rW    ^^^^^^  attainments,  their  business  capacitj'  or  the  artistic  results  thej' 

produce.     From  the  large  list  which  might  be  given  the  following 

are  selected: 

Sara  Hershey  Eddy 
Was  born  in  Lancaster  county  Pa.,  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Eliza- 
beth Hershey,  both  of  whom  have  lived  to  see  their  child's  success.  She 
received  her  early  education  and  musical  training  in  Philadelphia,  where 
she  sang  for  two  j-ears  in  the  choir  of  one  of  the  leading  churches.  At 
fourteen,  her  voice  was  hopelessly  ruined  through  bad  treatment,  and 
she  turned  to  the  piano  as  an  outlet  for  her  musical  desire.  In  1867  she 
went  to  Berlin  to  complete  her  nuisical  education.  With  a  rare  insight  she 
laid  down  for  herself  broad  lines  of  study,  a  course  which  has  been  one  of 
the  secrets  of  her  success  in  after-life.  She  was  a  pupil  of  Professor  Stern  in 
harmonj',  counterpoint,  score  reading  and  piano  playing,  of  Miss  Jenny 
Mayer  for  singing,  of  Schwartz  for  declamation,  Berndahl,  the  royal  court 
actor,  of  Berlin,  for  elocution  and  stage  deportment,  while  KuUak  afterward 
taught  her  piano,  and  Gustav  Engel  and  Gotfried  Weiss,  singing.  During 
this  time  she  acquired  no  mean  acquaintance  with  the  German  language 
and  literature.  After  three  years  she  went  to  Milan,  where  she  took 
daily  vocal  lessons  for  one  and  a  half  years  of  Maestro  Gerli,  and  attended 
the  classes  of  the  elder  Lamperti,  devoting  herself  exclusively  to  operatic 
singing  and  the  Italian  language.  She  then  went  to  London  and  became 
a  pupil  of  Mme.  Sainton-Dolby  in  oratorio  and  English  singing.  Return- 
ing to  America  in  October,  187 1,  she  remained  in  New  York  for  a  year 
and  a  half,  singing  in  churches  and  concerts,  and  teaching  some  private 
pupils.  She  was  then  offered  and  accepted  the  post  of  teacher  of  the 
vocal  department  of  the  Pennsylvania  P^'emale  College  at  Pittsburgh,  and 
the  following  j-ear  she  assumed  full  control  of  the  musical  department  in 
that  institution.  Mrs.  Hershej-  came  to  Chicago  in  1875  and  founded 
the  Hershey  School  of  Musical  Art,  with  Mr.  W.  S.  B.  Mathews.  Mr. 
Clarence  Eddy  afterward  became  general  musical  director,  and  the  school 

51^" 


rapidly  won  a  wide  reputation,  numbering  among  its  pupils  many  who 
afterward  became  famous  as  singers,  organists  and  composers.  In  July, 
1879,  the  two  directors  w^ere  married,  and  as  the  traditional  "property  " 
novel  says,  "lived  happily  ever  afterward."  In  1885  the  duties  of  the 
school  were  felt  to  be  too  heavy,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eddy  retired  to  private 
teaching.  Mrs.  Eddy  has  been  a  great  fore*  in  Chicago.  She  is  earnest 
and  faithful,  aiming  at  a  broad,  intelligent  culture,  and  her  success  has 
been  most  marked.  She  has  been  for  years  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  and  in  1887  was  elected  to  the 
board  of  examiners  in  the  vocal  department  of  the  American  College  of 
Musicians,  a  post  of  high  honor  and  grave  responsibility.  Mrs.  Eddy  is 
also  a  frequent  contributor  to  musical  journals,  writing  in  a  vigorous  and 
pleasing  style.  Among  her  pupils  who  have  become  celebrated  are  Mrs. 
Ma}'  Phoenix  Cameron,  Miss  Grace  Hiltz;  INIiss  Christine  Nielsen,  Mr.  J. 
L.  Johnson,  and  many  others. 

Clar.\  E.   Muxger. 

This  talented  and  successful  teacher  of  "music  and  singing,  was  born 
in  Portland,  Me.,  in  1850.  It  was  a  musical  family,  that  of  the  Mungers, 
and  all  her  surrounding  influences  led  the  child  toward  the  pursuit  of 
music  as  a  profession.  She  began  her  work  as  a  teacher  at  nineteen  and 
soon  realized  that  her  best  talent  was  in  that  direction.  In  1879  she 
went  to  Europe  and  studied  with  Mme.  La  Grange  and  Delle  Sadie  in 
Paris  for  some  time,  afterwards  going  to  Loudon  to  learn  English  methods 
and  to  Germany  for  the  study  of  German  music.  To  Delle  Sadie  who  is 
best  known  as  Christine  Nillson's  great  teacher.  Miss  Munger  attributes 
all  her  success,  the  measure  of  which  is  abundantly  shown  by  the  results 
of  her  teaching  in  Boston.  She  came  to  that  citj^  in  1884  and  found  a 
rich  field  for  broad,  con.scientious  work  in  vocal  music.  The  day  of  "  a 
few  songs  for  home"  had  passed,  and  with  the  progress  in  all  art,  the 
need  for  good  technique  was  felt. 

As  a  teacher  she  contended  that  the  voice  was  simply  an  instrument, 
which,  to  become  one's  slave,  must  be  practiced  upon  for  years  with 
diligence  and  intelligence.  Another  strong  point  with  her  was  that  real 
music,  like  any  art,  must  be  natural  to  be  great.  To  be  honest  to  oneself 
in  music  and  to  interpret  the  music  so  that  all  personal  identitj^  should  be 
lost,  was  the  one  aim  to  be  striven  for,  and  to  sing  so  that  one  should  for- 
get the  singer  in  the  song.  Any  mannerism  that  should  attract  attention 
to  the  personality  should  be  regarded,  not  only  as  a  weakness,  but  as  a 
vulgarity.  At  first  Miss  Munger  found  her  ideas  were  not  verj'  well 
received,  but  gradually  she  won  others  to  her  way  of  thinking,  until  now 


4  ' 

.4 

'"''   ':.^ 

< 

.f        •.    ■ 

■ 

Sara  Hkrshey-Eddy. 


.>>3 


ever}'-  hour  of  her  time  is  taken  up,  and  she  has  sent  out  many  disciples  to 
teach  the  same  method  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  The  most 
successful  of  her  pupils  is  Miss  Eames,  the  3'oung  American  singer,  who 
won  such  splendid  praise  b}'  her  performances  at  the  Grand  Opera  at 
Paris.  She  came  to  Miss  Munger  from  a  small  countr}-  place  in  Maine, 
and  it  was  on  her  teacher's  urging  that  she  was  induced  to  go  to  Europe 
for  her  stage  work.  Notwithstanding  the  success  she  has  achieved,  Miss 
Munger  is  still  receptive  of  new  ideas  and  she  makes  frequent  visits  to 
Europe  to  gain  any  fresh  information  that  may  aid  her  in  her  work. 

Elena  Varesi. 

This  charming  soprano  sings  as  the  birds  do,  because  she  was  bom 
in  a  singing  nest.  Her  grandmother  was  the  great  Mme.  Boccabadotte, 
the  contemporary  of  Malibran,  and  a  favorite  artist  throughout  a  long 
career.  Her  father  was  Felice  Varesi,  the  baritone,  for  whom  \'erdi 
wrote  the  operas  oi  Rigoletto,  Traviata  and  Macbeth.  Her  aunt  was  also 
a  great  artist,  and  her  mother  is  one  of  the  finest  teachers  in  Itah-.  Elena 
was  a  musical  child,  and  her  parents  carefulh-  trained  her  talents  and  cul- 
tivated her  naturally  fine  voice.  Before  she  was  twenty  she  made  her 
dehit  at  Florence  as  prima  donna  and  aroused  great  enthusiasm.  Since 
then  she  has  traveled  through  Europe,  and  sung  in  all  the  principal  cities 
with  uniform  success.  For  two  seasons  she  was  with  Colonel  Mapleson's 
company  at  Her  Majesty's  in  London.  When  she  appeared  as  Lucia  in 
Florence,  the  Courier  said  of  her:  "  Every  phrase  of  her  grand  air  was 
interrupted  by  bravos  and  applause,  and  at  the  cadenza  with  the  flute,  it 
was  such  an  indescribable  explosion  of  plaudits  that  she  was  compelled 
to  give  an  encore,  which  had  never  happened  in  Florence  in  Lucia,  either 
to  the  Frezsolina  in  her  best  time  or  to  Patti  a  few  j-ears  ago.  \'aresi's 
voice  is  a  pure,  sweet  soprano  of  great  compass  and  considerable  power, 
and  she  adds  to  the  beauty  of  her  singing  by  the  charm  of  her  acting. 
She  made  most  successful  tours  of  South  America  and  of  the  United 
States,  and  finallj'  settled  in  Chicago  as  a  teacher  and  concert  singer,  in 
which  capacity  she  has  gained  a  high  reputation. 

Mme.  Clara  M.  Brinkerhoff. 

Madame  BriuKerhofTs  name  is  well  known  to  the  art-loving  public  of 
this  country,  as  a  singer  of  great  cultivation  and  ability,  and  as  a  teacher 
of  high  merit,  was  born  in  London,  Eng.,  about  1830.  Making  her 
debut,  as  a  child,  in  oratorio  singing,  she  has  since  that  time  been 
welcomed  in  the  concert  room  by  the  most  appreciative  audiences.  She 
has  devoted  herself  to  .singing  with  all  the  ardor  and  enthusiasm  of  her 

5&4 


MME.    RUDERSDORFF. 


565 


CLARA    BRINKERHOFF. 


artistic  nature.  Her  remarkable  versatility  and  niaj^netic  voice  hold  her 
audience  unwearied  and  enthusiastic  through  an  entire  evening,  without 
other  aid  than  that  of  her  pianist.  Familiar  alike  with  the  literature  and 
traditions  of  music,  her  thorough  cultivation  in  all  schools,  from  the  most 
severe  to  the  lighter  forms  of  music,  render  her  capable  of  interpreting 
the  works  of  the  masters  in  an  elegant  manner. 

As  an  instructor  in  the  art  of  singing,  voice  producing  and  beauti- 
fj^ing  of  tone,  she  has  been  eminently  successful  and  has  achieved  a 
national  reputation.  She  is  also  a  writer  and  a  lecturer  of  ability.  She 
is  the  only  lady  who  has  ever  been  asked  to  deliver  an  essay  before  the 
polytechnic  section  of  the  American  Institute.  •  Her  subject,  on  this 
occasion,  was  Suggestive  Thoughts  on  the  Human  Singhig  Voice  and  Its 
Culture.  While  in  Paris,  some  j-ears  ago,  Auber  himself  honored  her 
enthusiastic  research  by  giving  her  entree  as  auditor  to  all  vocal  classes 
at  the  conservatory,  where  she  could  obsen-e  the  different  methods  taught 
by  various  professors.  Mme.  Brinkerhoff,  during  her  career,  has 
instructed  a  large  number  of  pupils. 

F.  Jeaxxette  Hall 

Was  born  and  educated  in  Cleveland,  and  was  put  to  work  at  piano  music 
when  a  very  small  child,  but  it  was  not  until  she  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Prof.  R.  E.  Henninges  that  she  learned  to  see  the  full  beauty  of  music.  She 
remained  with  him  for  over  seven  years,  and  through  his  teaching  music 
became  to  her  an  art  to  be  revered  and  served  with  devotion.  When  the 
College  of  Music  opened  in  Cincinnati  Mr.  Henninges  took  her  there  and 
placed  her  wi.h  Geo.  E.  Whiting,  with  whom  she  studied  organ  and 
composition  until  his  return  to  Boston,  when  she  remained  to  take  charge 
of  the  organ  students.  That  position  she  filled  until  1888,  when  she  was 
invited  to  give  some  recitals  upon  a  fine  new  Roosevelt  organ,  which  had 
just  been  built  for  the  Trinity  Methodist  church  of  Denver.  She  went 
out  there  and  was  asked  to  remain  and  supervise  the  music  in  the  schools 
of  North  Denver.  This  offer  she  accepted  and  severed  her  connection 
with  the  College  of  Music  at  Cincinnati,  where  she  had  taught  the  organ 
for  six  years,  and  had  also  been  organist  of  the  music  hall  and  of  the 
expositions.  Miss  Hall  is  an  able  teacher,  and  a  large  number  of  her 
pupils  are  at  present  filling  church  positions  in  various  parts  of  America, 
—  in  California,  Florida,  and  as  far  east  as  Massaehussets,  while  in  south- 
ern Ohio  and  the  vicinity  of  Cincinnati,  the  greater  part  of  the  churches 
are  at  this  time  supplied  with  players  who  studied  in  the  college  during 
the  six  years  of  Miss  Hall's  teaching  there.  No  better  tribute  can  be 
paid  to  her  ability,  as  an  instructress. 

566 


Alfred  Dudley  Turner. 

"In  memoriam  "  might  appropriately  be  placed  at  the  head  of  the 
chapter  of  musical  history  devoted  to  a  brief  sketch  of  the  life  and  labors 
of  Mr.  A.  D.  Turner,  who,  though  he  died  in  his  prime  and  in  the  midst 
of  his  useful  career,  achieved  remarkable  success  in  his  province  as  a 
teacher.  At  an  early  age  Mr.  Turner  gave  such  evidence  of  the  possession 
of  unusual  musical  talent  that  his  parents  were  induced  to  give  him  every 
advantage  for  study.  When  a  l:)oy  of  eight  or  nine  he  went  to  Boston 
and  studied  the  piano  with  Mr.  J.  C.  D.  Parker.  He  also  took  a  finishing 
course  in  piano  technique  with  Mme.  Madeleine  Schiller.  He  was  but 
little  more  than  a  youth  when  he  graduated  from  the  New  England  Con- 
servator}', and  he  at  once  began  teaching  in  that  famous  institution.  He 
soon  displayed  a  wonderful  faculty  for  imparting  information  to  a  student 
and  of  awakening  in  a  pupil  the  enthusiasm  for  art  with  which  he  himself 
was  imbued.  One  who  knew  him  well  when  he  was  in  the  midst  of  his 
labors  says  of  him: 

"  Mr.  Turner  was  one  of  the  purest-minded  men  I  have  ever  met. 
He  was  a  man  of  noble,  lofty  character,  and  his  influence  over  his  pupils 
was  re:narkable;  he  always  took  an  interest  in  them,  in  all  the  affairs  of 
life,  and  many  a  good  earnest  piece  of  advice  has  he  given  them  in  regard 
to  the  life  to  lead  and  the  course  to  adopt.  He  was  a  man  of  ver\-  decided 
character,  firm  in  his  opinions,  fearless  and  bold  in  his  ideas,  and  in 
advancing  them  he  was  a  great  power  in  his  sphere;  and  was  a  man 
whose  influence  as  a  teacher  and  reformer  in  music  will  be  felt  for 
many  years." 

]\Ir.  Turner's  pupils  all  cherished  the  warmest  personal  friendship  for 
him.  Among  them,  two  of  his  particular  favorites  were  Mr.  Charles  E. 
Dennee  and  Mr.  Frank  A.  Porter,  for  both  of  whom  Mr.  Turner  had  a 
sincere  regard.  They  .shared  his  enthusiasm  and  his  tastes  in  art  and  as  a 
consequence  of  his  valuable  companionship,  these  two  young  men  are  now 
among  the  most  efficient  and  able  teachers  of  the  city  of  Boston,  and  they 
are  qualified  to  keep  alive  the  wonderfully  successful  methods  of  teaching 
adopted  by  Mr.  Turner.  The  last  five  years  of  the  life  of  this  lamented 
instructor  were  saddened  by  very  great  suffering;  nevertheless  he  kept  on 
braveh'  carrying  out  his  work  until  one  year  before  his  death,  when  he 
was  persuaded  to  enter  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  where  he 
had  a  dangerous  operation  performed.  Though  he  stood  the  operation, 
it  was  too  late,  ar.d  he  died  a  few  months  later.  During  his  last  illness  he 
was  nnny  times  besought  to  give  iip  and  rest,  but  he  would  generally 
reply  to  such  suggestions:  "  I  ha\-e  a  mission  to  perform;  I  feel  it  my  duty 
to  stay  at  my  post  and  do  mj'  best  for  my  ]ni]iils.     I  feel  that  I  should  do 

55S 


all  I  can  for  music  in  America,  and  some  day  I  may  earn  my  rest."  Poor 
fellow!  He  earned  it  sooner  than  he  expected,  and  he  passed  away 
universally  respected  and  beloved  by  every  musician  and  man  wlio  had 
ever  known  him. 

As  a  composer,  Mr.  Turner  displayed  a  great  deal  of  talent,  and  he 
was  a  very  prolific  writer.  His  compositions  reached  Op.  36.  Some  of 
the  numbers  contained  from  six  to  twelve  pieces,  and  more.  He  also 
left  a  number  of  unfinished  and  finished  manuscripts.  Among  his  works 
may  be  mentioned  his  method  of  modern  octave  playing,  which  is  the 
most  complete  and  exhaustive  work  on  octaves  extant.  It  is  one  of  the 
most  practical  also,  as  it  begins  with  the  first  elements  of  octave  playing, 
and  carries  a  person  through  the  entire  range  of  octave  playing.  It  is 
supplemented  by  a  selection  of  six  celebrated  octave  studies,  by  KuUak, 
Chopin  and  Nicode.  The  work  is  based  on  principles  of  Theo.  Kullak, 
and  is  pronounced  by  unprejudiced  musicians  and  pianists  to  be  the 
best,  most  complete  and  yet  practical  octave  work  in  existence. 

]\Ir.  Turner  was  a  native  of  St.  Albans,  Vt.,  where  he  was  born 
Aug.  24,  1854.     He  died  May  7,  1888,  aged  thirty-three  j-ears. 

F.  Norman  Adams. 

Mr.  F.  Norman  Adams  is  a  musician  who  is  an  Englishman  bj'  birth, 
and  his  early  labors  were  in  his  native  countrj-,  where  his  studies  were 
pursued  and  where  his  career  practical!}-  began.  Mr.  Adams  was  born 
in  London,  June  3,  1858,  and  his  early  musical  education  was  received 
from  his  mother,  who  was  accounted  an  excellent  musician.  He  after- 
ward received  instruction  from  several  eminent  London  teachers.  In  1877 
he  became  the  associate  of  Dr.  \V.  H.  Monk,  of  King's  College,  London, 
Eng.,  and  with  him  he  proceeded  to  the  south  of  England,  where  he 
devoted  four  jears  to  active  musical  work  in  organ  playing,  choir  train- 
ing, chamber  music,  etc. 

Upon  returning  to  London,  he  became  a  pupil  of  Prof  E.  H.  Turpin, 
so  widelj'  known  for  his  brilliant  powers  as  a  musician.  Mr.  Adams  is  in 
possession  of  letters  from  the  celebrated  master,  containing  highest 
encomiums  of  his  first  efforts  in  composition,  such  as  instrumental  trios, 
organ  compositions,  etc.  The  appointment  of  organist  of  the  American 
Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  in  Paris,  being  offered  to  Mr.  Adams,  he 
accepted  the  position  and  held  it  about  one  year,  during  which  time  he 
made  the  acquaintance  of  many  notable  artists,  heard  much  good  music, 
and  gave  a  series  of  chamber  concerts,  which  were  highly  appreciated  and 
supported  by  the  most  distinguished  Americans  in  Paris.  Private  affairs 
making  it  impossible  for  him  to  continue  in  this  position,  in  spite  of  his 


undoubted  success  and  the  repeated  acknowledgments  he  received 
thereof,  he  returned  to  London.  In  November  of  1887,  Mr.  Adams 
married  a  ladj-  of  both  personal  and  intellectual  charms,  a  fine  linguist 
and  in  perfect  sympathy  with  him  in  his  musical  work,  to  which  he  is 
enthusiastically  devoted. 

Mr.  Adams  arrived  in  New  York  on  the  19th  of  November,  1887, 
and  he  was  at  once  welcomed  by  the  American  musical  fraternity  as  a 
mo.jt  desirable  acquisition.  After  a  sojourn  of  a  few  weeks  in  Gotham, 
he  received  a  call  to  Cleveland,  O. ,  as  choir  master  and  organist  of  Trinity 
church,  a  position  which  he  still  retains,  also  becoming  director  of  the 
Conservatory  of  Music  in  that  beautiful  cit\-,  as  well  as  officiating  as 
editor  of  the  Cleveland  Art  Journal.  He  has  given  numerous  conc.-rts 
in  Cleveland,  where  he  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  musician  and  as  a  man. 
Mr.  Adams  gives  evidence  of  the  possession  of  notable  talent  as  a  com- 
poser. 

Frank  Addison  Porter. 

A  young  American  musician  who,  during  the  greater  part  of  his 
career,  has  been  connected  with  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music, 
both  as  a  student  and  as  a  teacher,  is  Mr.  Frank  Addison  Porter,  who  is 
at  present  prominent  in  the  faculty  of  that  admirabje  institution.  Mr. 
Porter  was  born  at  Dixmont,  Me.,  Sept.  3,  1859.  When  a  small  boy  he 
began  the  study  of  music  and  displayed  precocious  talent,  but  circum- 
stances interrupted  his  studies,  and  during  a  period  of  four  j-ears  he  was 
unable  to  pursue  them.  This,  however,  did  not  diminish  his  love  for  the 
art  or  his  determination  to  become  a  musician.  He  was  gifted  with  a 
voice  and  in  addition  he  evinced  unusual  talent  as  a  pianist.  In  1877  he 
was  engaged  as  tenor  singer  at  St.  Mar3''s  Catholic  church  at  Bangor,  Me. 
This  position  he  held  for  two  years,  but  he  often  took  the  place  of  the 
organist  and  demon.strated  the  po.ssession  of  versatile  talents.  He  came 
to  Boston  in  1879  and  entered  the  Ne\y  England  Conser\-atory  of  Musjc, 
from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  1884.  During  the  five  j-ears  of 
his  course  there  he  studied  the  piano,  the  organ,  theorj^  counterpoint, 
vocal  music  and  the  art  of  conducting.  His  teachers  were  Messrs.  Turner, 
Dunham,  Emery,  Parker,  Chadwick,  Tamburello  and  Zerrahn.  Immedi- 
ately after  his  graduating  he  was  engaged  as  a  teacher  by  the  conserva- 
tory. The  best  evidence  of  his  ability  as  an  instructor  is  found  in  the  suc- 
cess that  his  pupils  have  met  with  as  teachers  in  other  schools  and  as  per- 
formers. He  has  given  a  number  of  concerts  in  Boston,  usually  introduc- 
ing upon  the  programmes  compositions  of  his  own.  Of  th.se,  he  has 
written  both  for  voice  and  for  the  piano.  His  published  works  include  a  . 
prelude  and  fugue  in  E  minor,  mazourkas,  nocturnes,  a.^et  of  easy  pieces 

57» 


3-       JOH.V  JEFFERS. 


573 


\VM.   NELSON  r.URRITT. 


for.  teaching,  songs  for  soprano  and  tenor,  a  contralto  solo  with  violin 
obligato  and  other  pieces.  Among  works  which  are  as  yet  in  manuscript, 
and  which  have  been  performed  in  public,  there  are  a  Festival  March  for 
two  pianos,  a  Serenade  for  violin  and  piano,  an  overture  for  four  hands, 
an  operetta  and  other  compositions.  Mr.  Porter  is  an  enthusiastic  worker, 
and  his  aims  are  for  all  that  is  highest  and  best  in  art. 

Santiago  Arrillaga  y  Ansola. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  1847  at  Tolosa,  in  the  province 
of  Guipuzcoa,  and  at  the  age  of  ten  years  he  began  the  study  of  music  in 
the  old  Spanish  fashion  with  a  solfeggio  master  who  employed  no  instru- 
mental accompaniment  whatever.  In  the  course  of  a  5-ear  he  had  fully 
mastered  all  that  could  be  taught  him  by  his  instructor.  He  then  began 
the  study  of  the  piano  as  a  recreation,  his  teacher  being  D.  C.  Aguayo, 
organist  of  the  parish  church.  He  attended  school  both  in  Spain  and  France 
until  the  age  of  sixteen,  when,  having  decided  to  pursue  musical  art  as  a 
profession,  he  was  sent  to  the  Roj'al  Conservatory  at  Madrid,  where  he 
became  the  pupil  of  Don  M.  Mendizabal,  in  piano,  Don  R.  Hernando,  in 
harmon}',  and  Dr.  H.  Eslava,  in  counterpoint.  At  the  close  of  three 
years'  study  he  graduated  with  the  highest  honors,  having  obtained  the 
first  prizes  at  the  public  examination,  and  being  decorated  with  the  gold 
medal  of  the  university,  which  was  conferred  on  him  by  the  queen.  In 
1867  Seiior  Ansola  went  to  Paris,  where  he  studied  at  the  Consen-atoire, 
and  also  took  private  lessons.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  seized 
with  a  desire  to  travel,  and  after  a  sojourn  in  several  South  American 
cities  and  in  the  Antilles,  he  came  to  this  country.  At  San  Jose  de  Costa 
Rica  "he  remained  for  five  j'ears,  and  he  would,  in  all  probability,  have 
made  his  home  at  that  delightful  place,  as  he  had  every  inducement 
offered  him  so  to  do,  had  not  the  climate  of  the  tropics  shattered  his  health. 
This  compelled  him  to  seek  a  more  congenial  localit}',  and  in  1875  he 
departed  for  San  Francisco,  where  he  has  since  resided.  In  all  the  places 
where  the  Seiior  has  resided  or  visited  he  has  given  concerts  with  marked 
success,  his  playing  being  particularly  admired  for  its  elegant  and  graceful 
style  and  his  facile  technique.  He  possesses  that  rare  gift,  even  in  virtuosi; 
of  being  a  good  accompanist.  When  Carlotta  Patti  visited  the  Pacific 
coast  she  especially  engaged  him  to  serve  in  that  capacity  for  her  concert  #. 
tour.  Although  his  time  has  mainly  been  devoted  to  teaching,  he  has 
found  opportunity  to  do  clever  and  characteristic  work  as  a  composer. 
Con.spicuously  successful  have  been  his/(5/a  and  Dan za  Habanera  and  his 
Trip  to  Spain,  the  latter  being  for  piano  and  orchestra.  He  has  written 
many  p'ano  compositions,  two  masses  and  a  great  deal  of  church  music, 

574 


^eo-  ^e<H^  /?^ 


i^=^Z<>^ 


generally  distinguished  for  its  imaginative  and  musicianlj^  qualities. 
As  a  teacher,  Seiior  Arrillaga  has  been  remarkably  successful,  and  during 
his  sojourn  in  San  Francisco  he  has  gathered  about  him  a  large  coterie  of 
pupils,  to  whom  he  is  guide  in  art  and  a  valued  personal  friend. 

George  Henry  Rowe. 

Prominent  among  the  teachers  of  the  Bay  State  is  Mr.  George  Henry 
Rowe,  who  has  attained  a  high  reputation  in  several  branches  of  musical 
art.  Mr.  Rowe' s  native  place  is  Cambridge,  Mass.,  where  he  was  born 
March  17,  1842.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he  began  the  study  of  music  with  the 
best  teachers  available,  and  he  made  such  progress  that  he  speedily 
acquired  prominence  in  the  musical  societies  of  Cambridge  and  Boston. 
Among  the  organizations  with  which  Mr.  Rowe  was  connected  at  this 
early  period  of  his  career  may  be  named  the  Allen  Street  Choir,  the  Cam- 
bridge Choral  Society,  noted  for  the  excellence  of  its  concerts  given  in 
161  and  1 8 52,  and  several  other  vocal  associations.  At  this  time,  also, 
Mr.  Rowe  was  a  member  of  the  Boston  brass  band,  of  which  Alonzo  Bond 
was  director,  this  being  one  of  the  very  best  of  American  bands  of  the 
period.  Mr.  Rowe  then  took  up  the  study  of  the  violin,  which  he  under- 
took with  the  zeal  of  an  enthusiast.  He  studied  with  Mr.  James  White, 
then  with  Mr.  Carl  Eichler,  and  afterward  with  Mr.  Charles  N.  Allen, 
formerly  first  violinist  of  the  famous  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club,  of 
Boston.  In  vocal  music  Mr.  Rowe  has  enjoj'ed  the  advantage  of  instruc- 
tion from  J.  H.  Nason,  J.  Walter  Davis  and  J.  H.  Wheeler,  of  the  New 
England  Conservatory  of  Music.  He  has  also  given  much  attention  to 
the  acquirement  of  virtuosity  as  a  pianist.  In  1873  Mr.  Rowe  began  to 
devote  himself  to  teaching,  and  he  followed  this  branch  of  the  profession 
in  Boston  till  1884;  then  feeling  a  strong  desire  to  enter  upon  a  larger 
field  of  labor,  he  accepted  a  call  to  take  charge  of  the  musical  department 
of  the  university  at  Sedalia,  Mo.  In  the  summer  of  1886  he  assisted  Dr. 
H.  S.  Perkins  in  conducting  a  highly  successful  normal  school  at  Carmi, 
111.  In  August  of  the  same  year  he  participated  as  soloist  and  first  violinist 
at  the  Clear  Lake  musical  festival  at  Clear  Lake,  la.,  an  affair  of  consider- 
able importance.  In  the  spring  of  1886  Mr.  Rowe  left  Sedalia  and  went 
to  Belton,  Tex.,  to  accept  a  position  as  musical  director  of  Baylor  College, 
one  of  the  leading  southern  institutions  for  female  education.  In  Texas 
Mr.  Rowe  has  become  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  musical  world,  "and  he 
has  recently  been  elected  secretary  of  the  Texas  Music  Teachers'  Associ- 
ation. As  a  lecturer  upon  musical  subjects  Mr.  Rowe  has  been  quite  suc- 
cessful, and  he  has  appeared  in  the  capacity  of  lecturer  in  many  cities, 
both  of  the  east  and  of  the  west.     Those  who  are  best  acquainted  with 

576 


p^  ^^io^i 


Mr.  Rowe  praise  him  highly  for  conscientious  work  that  he  has  done.  He 
is  most  agreeable  in  manner,  and  readily  wins  the  confidence  of  his  pupils. 
He  has  won  his  waj'  to  his  present  position  by  hard  work,  which  has  fre- 
quently been  carried  on  in  the  face  of  many  difficulties.  Mr.  Rowe  is 
happily  married.  His  wife,  who  was  Miss  Harriet  Wright,  of  Lexington, 
Mass.,  is  now  one  of  the  teachers  of  Baylor  College. 

"Mr.  John  Underner. 

One  of  the  distinguished  and  representative  vocal  teachers  of  America 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Mr.  John  Underner,  who  is  widely  known 
as  the  American  teacher  of  the  lamented  Marie  Litta.  Mr.  Underner  is  a 
native  of  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  and  he  was  born  in  that  city  in  1 839.  His  mother 
was  a  native  of  Madrid,  Spain,  and  his  father  was  born  in  Strasburgh, 
when  that  city  was  a  French  possession.  From  his  father,  who  was  a  band 
master  in  the  service  of  the  first  Napoleon,  Mr.  Underner  derived  his 
musical  talent,  which  was  strongly  manifested  in  his  earliest  j-ears.  When 
he  was  only  six  \'ears  old  he  began  the  study  of  the  violin,  which,  how- 
ever, was  soon  abandoned  for  the  piano.  His  studies  were  directed  by 
his  father,  who  readilj^  recognized  his  .son's  talent.  The  familj'  came  to 
America,  and  when  young  Underner  was  only  fourteen  years  old  he  was 
engaged  as  organist  of  St.  John's  Roman  Catholic  church,  at  Albany. 
He  played  there  for  two  3'ears,  and  then  assumed  a  similar  position  at  St. 
Paul's  Episcopal  church  in  the  same  city.  He  also  began  to  teach  at 
about  this  period. 

The  firm  of  Boardman  &  Gray,  piano  makers  in  Albany,  made  an 
important  improvement  on  their  pianos,  in  the  shape  of  seolian  attachment, 
called  the  dolce  tompana,  which  they  were  anxious  to  introduce  in  Europe. 
Mr.  Underner,  at  that  time  only  eighteen,  was  engaged  to  accompany 
their  business  representative  to  illustrate  the  artistic  worth  of  this  inven- 
tion. In  New  York,  prior  to  his  departure  for  London,  he  met  Mr. 
Wilton,  Barnum's  agent,  who  was  going  abroad  to  engage  Jenny  Lind. 
Through  Wilton  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Sir  Jules  Benedict,  then 
the  leading  musician  of  London,  who  conceived  a  sincere  attachment  for 
the  j-oung  American  pianist. 

Mr.  Underner  played  at  a  number  of  soirees  given  by  Sir  Jules  Bene- 
dict, and  met  with  decided  sixcess  as  a  pianLst.  Shortly  afterward  he 
turned  his  attention  to  yocal  instruction,  and  he  studied  for  a  long  time 
with  the  eminent  authority,  Belletti,  with  whom  he  thoroughly  mastered 
the  Italian  method,  the  only  natural  system  of  voice  formation  and  culti- 
vation. It  is  to  this  method  that  Mr.  I'nderner  owes  his  success  as  a 
teacher.       Mr.    Underner  returned    to  America  with   Jenny   Lind.      At 

57S 


^a^^^ir^*^^^^--Ui^i, 


Liverpool  he  plajed  a  solo  at  her  farewell  concert  and  created  a  favorable 
impression.  He  also  played  at  the  two  concerts  which  Jennj-  Lind  gave 
on  s'.::pboard  on  the  wa}^  over.  He  first  located  in  New  York  as  a  teacher 
of  singing,  but  shortly  afterward  (in  1853)  he  visited  Cleveland  and  was 
invited  to  settle  there.  He  has  been  exceedingl}'  successful  as  a  voice 
cultivator,  and  has  been  the  teacher  of  a  number  of  representative  singers, 
among  them  Mdlle.  Litta,  Miss  Ella  Russell,  IMiss  Hattie  McLain  (the 
favorite  contralto)  and  several  others  of  almost  equal  note. 

Frederic  Woodman  Root. 
The  Root  famil)'  have  been  intimately  and  prominently  associated 
with  American  music  for  a  number  of  years,  and  the  eminence  achieved 
by  Mr.  Frederick  \V.  Root,  who  is  .still  a  young  man,  indicates  that  the 
name  will  be  associated  with  the  art  of  this  country  for  a  number  of  j-ears 
to  come.'  For  several  generations  the  members  of  the  Root  famil}^  have 
been  known  as  singers,  plaj-ers  and  choir  leaders.  His  father.  Dr.  George 
F.  Root,  is  known  wherever  English  songs  are  sung.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  born  at  Boston,  June  13,  1846.  His  earlier  musical  studies 
were  pursued  under  parental  guidance,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was 
placed  under  the  tutelage  of  Mr.  B.  C.  Blodgett,  then  a  talented  young 
pianist  newly  graduated  from  the  Leipzig  Conservator)'.  He  progressed 
rapidly  with  his  teacher  and  also  with  his  subsequent  instructors.  Dr. 
William  Mason,  in  New  York,  and  ]\Ir.  Robert  Goldbeck,  in  Chicago.  He 
studied  the  organ  principally  with  Mr.  James  Flint,  and  at  one  of  the 
evening  services  at  the  Madison  Square  church  he  made  his  first  appear- 
ance as  organist.  In  1863  Dr.  Root  removed  to  Chicago,  and  in  that  citj' 
and  vicinity  Frederick  assisted  his  father  as  pianist  and  assistant  con- 
ductor at  several  conventions  and  numerous  concerts.  Having  acquired 
the  rudiments  of  voice  culture,  he  studied  with  Carlo  Bassini,  in  New 
York,  and  in  1869  he  went  upon  a  European  tour,  devoting  three  years  to 
study  and  recreation,  visiting  all  points  of  interest  from  the  north  of 
Scotland  to  the  .south  of  Italy.  In  Germany  he  studied  the  piano,  and  in 
Itah",  under  the  celebrated  Vannuccini,  he  continued  the  acquirement  of 
voice  culture.  Upon  his  return  he  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  has 
remained  ever  since,  building  up  the  enviable  reputation  he  has  made  as 
a  vocal  teacher.  In  1889  he  was  elected  upon  the  board  of  examiners  of 
the  American  College  of  Musicians,  and  by  the  Music  Teachers'  National 
Association,  chairman  of  a  committee  to  formulate  a  course  of  vocal 
instruction  for  adoption  b}'  the  association.  Several  years  ago  Mr.  Root 
introduced  the  system  of  class  teaching  in  Chicago,  and  he  has  .attained 
remarkable  success  in  this  specialty.     It  is  in  this  that  all  his  logic, 

580 


magnetism,  humor  and  illustrative  and  executive  ability  come  to  the 
front.  His  work  in  this  field  has  been  so  fruitful  that  he  was  invited  to 
read  a  paper  upon  the  subject  before  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Asso- 
ciation in  1887.  He  is  also  known  as  a  private  teacher  of  rare  success, 
many  of  his  pupils  being  well  known  singers  in  concert  and  opera. 
He  is  a  very  busy  man,  and  has  more  applications  from  pupils  than  he  can 
accept. 

Mr.  Root  is  of  medium  size,  looks  j'ounger  than  he  really  is,  which, 
according  to  him,  is  a  great  inconvenience  sometimes;  is  married,  has  three 
children,  and  lives  in  Hyde  Park,  one  of  the  suburbs  of  Chicago.  A  sister, 
Mrs.  Clara  lyouise  Burnham,  is  the  author  of  N^o  Gentlemen,  A  Sane 
Lunatic,  Dearly  Bought,  Next  Door,  etc.  Another  sister  is  a  successful 
artist.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Literary  Club,  an  old  and  exclusive 
organization,  embracing  in  its  ranks  the  most  distinguished  men  in 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Root  is  also  well  known  as  a  composer,  chiefly  of  songs  and 
choral  works.  He  was  editor  of  the  Song  Messenger  for  a  number  of  years, 
and  he  still  contributes  occasional  articles  to  daily  papers  and  periodicals 
on  musical  subjects.  He  is  a  thorough  American  in  his  ideas  and  senti- 
ments, as  well  as  a  most  genial  and  companionable  gentleman.  No  teacher 
in  America  is  a  greater  favorite  with  his  pupils  and  his  friends  than  Mr. 
Root,  and  his  labors  for  music  in  Chicago  have  been  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance and  /alue. 

W.  L.   Blumenschein. 

The  distinguished  principal  of  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at  Dayton, 
O.,  Mr.  William  Leonard  Blumenschein,  is  a  native  of  Germany.  He 
was  born  at  Brensbach  in  that  country  in  1849,  but  he  was  brought  to 
America  by  lus  parents  when  he  was  very  j-oung,  and  his  early  boyhood 
was  passed  at  Pittsburg,  Pa.  In  1869,  as  he  displayed  notable  musical 
talent,  his  parents  gave  him  advantages  of  which  he  so  well  availed 
himself  that  he  was  sent  afterward  to  Leipzig,  where  he  eiitered  the 
conservatory,  remaining  there  for  three  years  and  graduating  in  1872. 
In  1876  he  was  called  to  the  directorship  of  the  Portsmouth,  O. 
Harmonic  Society,  and,  after  remaining  with  the  association  for  two  years, 
he  was  invited  to  become  the  leader  of  the  Philharmonic  Society  of 
Dayton.  Under  his  leadership  a  number  of  important  concerts  were  given 
and  celebrated  works  were  brought  out,  including  oratorios,  cantatas, 
symphonies,  overtures,  etc.  He  officiated  as  leader  of  the  Ohio  Sanger- 
fests  of  1882  and  1884,  and  won  distinction  for  his  work  on  these  occasions. 
In  1888  Mr.  Blumenschein  was  honored  by  the  Ohio  Music  Teachers' 
Association  choosing  him  for  their  president,  a  position  which  he  filled 

5S2 


^"^i 


with  marked  ahilitj-.  He  has  written  a  goodh-  number  of  varied  and 
interesting  compositions,  many  of  which  have  been  pubHshed  by  Ditson 
&  Co.,  Schirraer  &  Co.,  S.  Brainard's  Sons,  the  Chicago  Musical 
Company,  John  Church  &  Co.,  and  other  well  known  firms.  Up  to 
the  time  of  the  present  writing,  Mr.  Blumenschein  has  given  no  fewer 
than  105  pupils'  recitals,  at  which  the  masterpieces  of  piano  and  vocal 
music,  concertos,  arias  and  the  smaller  forms  have  l^een  presented  to 
audiences  of  increasing  musical  appreciation  and  intelligence.  Mr. 
Blumenschein  is  entitled  to  great  credit  for  the  zealous  labors  he  has 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  musical  art  in  the  section  of  country  where  he  is 
at  present  a  conspicuous  figure  in  the  artistic  life  of  America. 

D.  C.  McAllister. 

A  young  musician  and  composer  who  is  one  of  the  most  energetic  and 
active  in  the  state  of  IMichigan  is  ]\Ir.  D.  C.  McAllister,  who  at  present 
resides  in  Kalamazoo,  but  whose  field  of  usefulness  is  the  entire  state  of 
Michigan.  Mr.  McAllister  is  known  as  a  solo  tenor,  a  teacher,  a  composer, 
a  chorus  director,  and,  in  short,  in  almost  every  department  of  musical 
enterprise.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  and  one  who  owes  his  prominence 
entirely  to  his  own  pluck  and  spirit,  his  musical  education  having  been 
procured  wholl}-  by  means  of  his  own  exertions. 

He  was  born  in  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  Sept.  3,  1853,  and  resided  on  a 
farm  near  Kalamazoo  until  his  sixteenth  year.  He  is  of  Scotch  descent, 
his  father  and  mother  both  being  noted  choir  singers  in  Jtliddlebun.',  Vt. 
His  first  knowledge  of  music  was  obtained  in  the  countrj-  singing  school 
when  he  was  eleven  years  old,  and  his  first  tuition  was  paid  for  by  his 
own  earnings  and  a  small  loan  advanced  b\'  a  kind-hearted  neighbor.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  teaching  country'  singing  school,  and  from 
that  beginning  worked  up  to  his  present  enviable  position  of  prominence. 
He  is  not  a  graduate  of  any  school,  but  is  such  a  musician  as  only  the 
school  of  experience  can  produce. 

For  eighteen  j^ears  Mr.  McAllister  has  conducted  choirs,  never  having 
been  absent  from  his  post  of  duty  during  that  time  excepting  for  five 
Sundays — truly  a  remarkable  record.  For  the  past  four  j-ears  he  has  had 
charge  of  the  music  of  the  First  Methodist  church  of  Kalamazoo,  and  he 
has  also  directed  the  popular  "  Kalaphon  "  Male  Quartette.  The  Kala- 
mazoo May  Festivals  for  the  past  two  years  have  been  under  his  guidance, 
and  have  been  eminently  successful.  As  a  composer  Mr.  McAllister  has 
done  excellent  work,  having  composed  some  thirty  pieces  for  voice. 
Among  the  most  successful  may  be  mentioned  the  following: 

Co7iie,  Said  JcsHs'  Sacred  J'^orcc,  solo;  Bjr  and  Dye  is  Surely  Coming, 

.SS4 


^.  Jj^ 


^^Vu-ev-j-^i^^^^^^ 


5?5 


duet  and  chorus  (very  popular);  Speak  Softly,  funeral  quartette;  Ccnte^iyiial 
Anthevi,  quartette  and  chorus,  quite  difficult;  Hear  My  Prayer  and  Lead, 
Kindly  Light,  one  of  the  best  solos  he  has  written.  /  Will  Lift  Up  Mine 
Eyes,  octavo  anthem  i2ist  Psalm;  T/ie  Lord  Is  My  Shepherd,  octave 
anthem  22d  Psalm;  JVelcome  to  May,  concert  glee,  octavo;  Hail,  Festal 
Day,  octavo,  best  secular  chorus  for  concert ;  Gone  Home,  male  voice  memo- 
rial hymn;  Light  is  Breaking,  male  voice,  temperance;  and  Cheer,  all 
Cheer,  male  voice,  temperance. 

As  an  earnest  and  persevering  worker  for  the  cau.se  of  music  in  the 
state  that  is  his  home,  Mr.  McAllister  is  probably  unexcelled.  He  is  a  most 
pleasing  singer,  as  well  as  an  admirable  director  and  organizer.  Mr. 
McAllister  is  married  happily,  and  has  an  interesting  family,  comprising 
two  sons  and  a  daughter. 

Theo.  F.  Seward. 

Mr.  Theodore  F.  Seward  at  present  occupies  the  important  post  of 
director  of  vocal  music  in  the  New  York  College  for  the  Training  of 
Teachers,  an  institution  of  great  value  to  the  educational  interests  of 
the  country.  Mr.  Seward  was  born  Jan.  25,  1835,  in  the  town  of 
Florida,  N.  Y.  His  familj^  has  been  one  of  some  distinction,  including 
among  its  members  the  eminent  secretarj-  of  state  of  Lincoln's  adminis- 
tration. Mr.  Seward's  father  was  a  substantial  farmer,  and  was  anxious 
that  his  son  should  follow  the  same  pursuit,  but  the  boy  had  imbibed  a 
love  of  music  in  the  rural  singing  school  of  a  neighboring  village,  and  his 
ambition  thenceforth  laj'  in  the  direction  of  nuisical  art.  "  Bj'  hook  or  by 
crook,"  as  he  himself  expresses  it,  he  learned  to  pla)'  the  organ,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  found  himself  installed  as  organist  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  the  village.  He  gives  a  humorous  account  of  the  sense  of 
responsibility  that  weighed  upon  him  while  he  occupied  this  position,  his 
care  and  anxiety  begiiming  immediately  after  the  services  of  one  Sunday 
were  over,  and  increa.sing  steadily  throughout  each  week.  As  there  was 
no  music  teacher  in  the  village,  his  education  was  for  some  time  at  the 
mercy  of  his  own  inclination  and  tastes.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr. 
Seward  went  to  New  York  and  attended  a  normal  class  conducted  by  Dr. 
Geo.  F.  Root,  Dr.  Lowell  Mason  and  others.  Here  he  advanced  music- 
all)-,  but  to  his  ph5-sical  detriment,  for  he  overworked  himself,  and  a  long 
time  was  required  for  him  to  recover  from  the  attack  of  ner\-ous  prostra- 
tion that  ensued.  Unable  to  study,  j-et  anxious  to  be  as.sociated  with 
music  in  some  waj-,  he  entered  a  music  store  in  New  York,  and  here  he 
gained  an  insight  into  the  business  methods  connected  with  the  art,  which 
has  been  valuable  to  him  ever  since.      In    1857  he  attended  a  second 

535 


ft^t^i 


^  r./A 


^t-*-'*-*-^!^ 


5S7 


normal  class,  also  conducted  by  Mason  and  Root,  and  soon  after  this  he 
entered  the  profession  as  a  teacher.  His  first  experiences  as  a  teacher 
were  gained  at  New  London  and  at  Rochester,  where  he  taught  the  piano 
and  singing,  and  also  held  a  churcli  appointment.  In  i860  he  married 
and  moved  to  New  York,  where  he  ed.ted  the  Musical  Pioneer  and  after- 
ward the  Musical  Gazette.  He  became  associated  with  Dr.  Lowell  Mason 
in  several  literary  enterprises, 'as  well  as  in  the  conducting  of  choral  con- 
ventions. In  1869  he  went  to  Europe,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Seward,  and 
there  he  remained  for  six  months.  While  here  he  became  interested  in 
the  tonic  sol-fa  method,  and  he  gave  it  considerable  careful  thought. 
Several  months  of  nervous  weakness  followed,  unfitting  him  for  work.  In 
1874  he  traveled  with  the  Jubilee  Singers  as  their  musical  director,  and 
was  engaged  thus  for  two  j-ears  and  a  half,  meeting  with  great  success. 
While  in  Europe  with  this  company  he  again  took  up  the  tonic  sol-fa 
method,  and  he  has  since  then  been  identified  with  its  interests,  and  a 
leading  exponent  of  the  method  in  America.  In  1877  ^^  went  to  Orange, 
N.  J.,  and  was  engaged  to  teach  music  in  the  public  schools  there.  He 
introduced  the  tonic  sol-fa  system  and  met  with  high  praise  for  the  effi- 
ciency of  his  labors.  He  is  still  associated  with  musical  interests  at 
Orange,  as  well  as  with  those  of  New  York. 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Tinney. 

One  of  the  successful  teachers  connected  with  the  New  England  Con- 
ser\'atory  of  Music  is  Mr.  Charles  E.  Tinnej^  who  has  met  with  eminent 
success  as  an  instructor  of  vocal  music,  as  well  as  in  the  capacit}'  of  vocal 
soloist.  Mr.  Tinney  is  a  native  of  England,  and  was  born  in  London  in 
1851.  In  1859,  when  a  lad  of  eight,  he  entered  the  choir  of  Westminster 
Abbej-,  where  his  musical  education  began  under  the  tutelage  of  Mr. 
James  Turle,  the  organist.  He  remained  with  the  choir  until  1867,  when 
his  voice  changed  to  a  bass.  He  soon  afterward  began  to  stud}'  with  the 
great  baritone,  Stanley',  and  finished  his  education  as  a  singer  under  the 
guidance  of  the  celebrated  maestro  Signor  Manuel  Garcia,  at  the  Royal 
Academy  of  Music.  On  graduating  he  took  the  gold  medal  for  singing. 
He  then  competed  at  the  examination  for  solo  singers  at  the  choir  of  St. 
Paul's  cathedral,  and  was  successful  over  all  other  contestants.  He  sang 
at  the  cathedral  for  ten  years.  During  this  period  he  also  engaged  in 
teaching,  having  been  appointed  professor  of  singing  at  the  Guildhall 
School  of  Music  and  the  Blackheath  Conservatory  of  Music.  He  also 
had  two  choirs  under  his  direction,  and  in  each  of  these  fields  of  useful- 
ness he  met  with  great  success.  In  1886  he  came  to  Boston  and  began  to 
teach  at  the  New  England  Conser\'atory.     Here  he  has  won  a  high  place 


J^    »   ^}lL  '   roA-irJytA^ 


i^ 


5S9 


in  the  faculty,  and  he  has  a  very  extensive  class.  He  has  also  given  con- 
siderable time  to  singing  in  concert  and  oratorio  since  he  came  to  America. 
Mr.  Tinney  is  a  gentleman  who  is  personally  popular,  as  well  as  exceed- 
ingly efficient  as  an  instructor. 

Smith  Newell  Penfield,  Mus.  Doc. 
This  well  known  organist,  composer  and  teacher  was  born  at  Oberlin, 
O.,  April  4,  1837.  He  became  an  organist  while  a  very  young  man.  He 
pursued  his  earlier  studies  in  New  York,  and  later  went  to  Leipzig,  Ger- 
many, studj-ing  the  piano  with  Moscheles,  Papperitz  and  Reinecke,  the 
organ  with  Richter,  counterpoint  and  fugue  with  Richter  and  Hauptmann, 
and  composition  with  Reinecke.  Subsequently  he  went  to  Paris  and 
placed  himself  under  the  care  of  Delioux.  After  returning  to  this  coun- 
try', he  resided  for  some  time  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  later  removed  to 
Savannah,  Ga.,  where  he  established  the  Savannah  Conservatorj'^  of  Music 
and  the  Mozart  Club.  For  manj'  3'ears  past  he  has  been  a  resident  of 
New  York  Cit}',  where  he  has  been  engaged,  with  great  success,  in  teaching 
piano,  organ  and  harmony,  also  in  giving  concerts  especiall)'  on  the  organ 
and  in  conducting  societies.  He  has  given  organ  recitals  at  the  church  ot 
the  Pilgrims,  Brooklyn,  at  St.  George's  chureh.  New  York,  and  more 
recently  at  Chickering  hall.  In  1883  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Music  from  the  University  of  New  York,  and  in  1884  he  was  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  It  is  to  his  energy, 
activity  and  ability  that  the  New  York  Harmonic  Society  owes  its  exist- 
ence. These  same  qualities,  as  well  as  his  thorough  knowledge  of  music, 
have  enabled  him  to  achieve  a  distinguished  position  as  a  teacher.  Dr. 
Penfield's  compositions  consist  of  organ  and  piano  music,  songs,  anthems, 
glees,  a  string  quintette,  an  overture  for  full  orchestra  and  a  cantata  — 
the  i8th  Psalm  —  for  soli,  chorus  and  orchestra;  also  numerous  other 
works,  which  our  limited  space  prevents  us  from  enumerating  in  full. 

ZniRi  M.  Parvix. 
Mr.  Parvin  is  at  the  head  of  the  musical  department  of  the  \\'illa- 
mette  University  at  Salem,  Ore.,  the  Con.servatory  of  Music  being  a  con- 
spicuous feature  of  that  educational  institution.  Mr.  Parvin  was  born  in 
Ripley  county,  Ind. ,  April  25,  1843.  In  1868  he  began  the  study  of  musie 
with  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Root  in  his  musical  normal  classes.  He  continued  to 
study  in  these  cla.sses  till  1874,  and  also  had  private  lessons  from  William 
Ma.son,  of  New  York,  and  from  W.  S.  B.  Mathews,  of  Chicago.  These 
two  were  his  principal  instructors  in  the  art  of  piano  playing.  Vocal 
music  and  voice  production  Mr.  Par\'in  studied  with  Carlo  Bassini  and 
with  George  J.  Webb,  of  New  York.     In  1875  he  accepted  the  position  of 


591 


director  of  music  at  the  state  normal  school  of  California,  and  in  1883  he 
was  made  the  incumbent  of  the  position  that  he  holds  at  present. 

Mr.  Parvin  is  the  author  of  two  Sunday  school  song  books,  of  two  or 
three  piano  compositions  and  several  songs,  the  most  popular  of  the  latter 
being  True  Hearts  a,re  Beating  and  Voyaging.  Mr.  Parvin' s  special  work 
is  in  the  lines  of  voice  culture,  piano,  harmony  and  counterpoint,  and 
class  teaching.  In  the  Willamette  Conservatorj'  the  labors  of  Mr.  Parvin 
have  been  attended  with  great  success.  The  conservatory  has  been  in 
existence  for  seven  years,  and  the  attendance  has  steadily  increased  till  it 
now  numbers  one  hundred  and  fifty  students  in  the  musical  department. 

Mr.  Parvin's  assistants  in  the  department  are  Miss  Eva  Cox,  Miss 
Lulu  M.  Smith,  Hall}-  Parish,  Mamie  Par\-in  and  Leona  Willis.  The 
school  is'said  to  be  the  most  successful  on  the  northwestern  coast.  Mr. 
Par\'in  was  married  Nov.  11,  1866,  to  Miss  Addie  Sutton,  of  Bardolph,  111. 

Franz  Mueller. 

Mr.  Franz  Mueller  was  born  in  Newark,  O.,  and  received  his  first 
musical  instruction  from  his  father,  a  talented  musician  and  an  experi- 
enced instructor.  He  also  graduated  from  the  New  England  Conser^-atorj'., 
Boston,  in  piano,  organ,  voice,  harmony,  counterpoint  and  theorJ^  His 
debut  was  made  with  Marie  Eitta,  the  American  prima  donna,  with  whom 
he  traveled  for  several  years.  Mr.  Mueller  was  for  thirteen  years  the 
organist  of  the  first  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  of  Bloomington,  111.,  and 
is  the  author  of  several  educational  works.  Octave  Studies,  Glittering 
Spray  Capriee,  and  also  of  an  excellent  transcription  of  Handel's  Chaconne, 
played  b}^  Mme.  Rive-King,  and  highly  commended  by  her. 

He  is  at  present  the  vice-president  for  his  state  of  the  Music  Teachers' 
National  Association,  and  is  the  director  of  the  Spokane  Conservatory  of 
Music,  Spokane  Falls,  Wash.,  which  offers,  under  his  able  direction,  an 
excellent  course  of  instruction  in  all  the  branches  of  musical  art. 

H.  O.  Farnum. 

The  subject  of  this  SKetch  was  boni  in  Providence,  R.  I.,  Jan.  2,  1857. 
His  inherited  taste  for  music  was  so  strong  that  at  seven  years  of  age  he 
began  to  take  piano  lessons,  and  soon  after  he  was  placed  under  the  care 
of  Robt.  Bonner,  from  whom  he  received  instruction  in  piano,  organ  and 
theor}'.  After  graduating  in  1878  from  Brown  University,  in  his  native 
city,  he  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  the  banking  business,  devoting, 
however,  his  spare  moments  to  his  favorite  musical  pursuits.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Providence  Symphony  Society  and  of  the 
Arion  Club  (vocal). 

In  1885  he  definitely  abandoned  business  life  to  devote  himself  exclu- 


,/  ■> 


/7t^    ^2^  ,V c£^l^t^L^i^uA^ 


5J3 


sivel}-  to  music,  and  received  in  1888  the  appointment  of  organist  of  Christ 
church  in  Springfield,  O.  Shortly  after  his  removal  to  that  city  he  was 
offered  and  accepted  the  position  of  director  of  the  school  of  music  of  Wit- 
tenberg College,  where  he  is  endeavoring  to  build  up  a  thorough  school 
of  music.  He  was  elected  in  1886  an  associate  of  the  American  College 
of  Musicians,  and  for  two  years  was  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Music  Teachers'  Association  of  Rhode  Island.  In  1889  he  was  elected 
president  of  the  Ohio  Music  Teachers'  Association. 

M.  A.  GiLSiXN. 

Michael  Angelo  Gilsinn,  one  of  the  prominent  musicians  and  teachers 
of  St.  Louis,  is  a  native  of  the  land  that  gave  to  musical  art  Balfe, 
Wallace  and  a  number  of  other  musical  geniuses  of  distinction.  Mr. 
Gilsinn  was  born  in  Ireland  in  September,  1842.  He  came  to  this  country 
when  quite  young,  and  his  musical  education  has  been  acquired  parth'  in 
America  and  partly  in  Europe.  In  1865  he  married,  and  for  a  number  of 
3'ears  he  has  been  a  well  known  musician  of  the  city  where  he  now 
resides.  I\Ir.  Gilsinn  has  devoted  his  studies  particularly  to  the  piano, 
organ  and  composition.  He  is  at  present  organist  of  St.  Francis  Xavier's 
church,  and  he  also  is  engaged  as  teacher  of  music  and  head  of  the 
musical  department  at  the  Missouri  School  for  the  Blind,  where  he  finds 
his  work  most  interesting. 

As  a  composer,  Mr.  Gilsinn  has  done  a  great  deal  of  good  work. 
Among  his  compositions  maj-  be  mentioned  T/ie  Monk  and  the  Bird;  May 
Morning,  a  symphony  cantata;  Viva  Hibernia,  a  song  and  chorus;  Vcnite 
Adorcmtis,  a  Christmas  canticle,  and  also  a  number  of  other  compositions 
in  the  line  of  church  music.  He  is  also  the  reviser  and  compiler  of  a 
Grand  Italian  Mass  and  Vespers;  Pacini's  Massa  Solemnis,  Cimarosa's 
Messa  Militaire,  and  other  important  works  in  the  same  line  of  musical  art. 

Hugh  A.  Kelso. 
This  well  known  and  talented  teacher  was  born  at  Farmington,  Coles 
county.  111.,  August  26,  1862.  When  very  young  he  moved  to  Paxton, 
111.,  where  he  attended  the  local  high  school,  also  a  collegiate  institute 
known  as  Wright  College.  His  teachers  were  Mr.  W.  S.  B.  ]\Iathews,  of 
Chicago,  and  Mr.  A.  Beuter,  of  Bloomington.  In  1883  he  went  to  Boston, 
and  became  the  pupil  of  the  eminent  pianist,  Mr.  W.  H.  Sherwood,  with 
whom  he  has  been  ever  since,  either  as  pupil  or  as  assistant.  Mr.  Kelso 
has  studied  harmony  with  the  talented  composer  Mr.  Edward  S.  Kelley, 
of  New  York.  He  taught  with  success  at  Chautauqua  one  season,  and  has 
appeared  in  concerts  at  Chickering  hall.  New  York,  meeting  with  no 
small  degree  of  popular  fav^or.     Mr.  Kelso  was  engaged  recentl)'^  by  Mr, 

594 


Kaj-zer,  of  the  Chicago  Conserv^atory  of  Music,  as  one  of  the  faculty  of 
that  institution.  Mr.  Kelso  has  appeared  before  the  Music  Teachers' 
Associations  of  America  both  as  essajast  and  executant,  and  has  been 
favorably  received  in  both  capacities.  Mr.  Kelso,  though  a  young  man, 
has  already  secured  for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  among  American 
teachers. 

Thomas   Martin. 

Occupying  a  conspicuous  position  among  the  musicians  of  Canada  is 
Mr.  Thomas  Martin,  the  director  of  music  at  Hellmuth  Ladies'  College, 
L'':".don,  Ont.  Mr.  Martin  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  Sept.  3,  1861.  He 
entered  the  Roj-al  Academy  in  that  city  and  studied  music  under  the 
guidance  of  Mr.  George  Sproule.  Mr.  Martin  evinced  such  proficiency 
and  progressed  .so  rapidlj-  that  in  1877  he  was  awarded  the  Lord  O'Hagan 
medal  for  piano  playing.  He  entered  the  Leipzig  Conservatory  in  1879, 
ard  devoted  himself  to  study  with  such  eminent  instructors  as  Richter, 
Carl  Reinecke,  Bruno  Zwintscher  and  Dresce.  During  the  three  years 
of  his  course  at  the  conservatory  he  appeared  several  times  in  concerts, 
meeting  with  decided  success.  In  1882  he  was  awarded  the  Helbig  prize 
r-.nd  accorded  a  very  flattering  testimonial.  During  the  next  year  Mr. 
Martin  studied  privately  with  Reinecke,  and  he  had  the  honor  of  appear- 
ing with  that  celebrated  musician  at  one  of  the  Gewandhaus  concerts  in 
I'ebruarj',  1883.  He  also  plaj'ed  with  distinguished  success  at  one  of  the 
Euterpe  concerts  at  Leipzig.  The  j-ear  1884  he  devoted  to  concert  play- 
ing and  teaching  in  Germany,  and  also  in  his  native  countrj-.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin's connection  with  music  in  the  new  world  began  in  1885,  when  he 
accc;")ted  the  position  of  director  of  music  at  the  Hellmuth  Ladies'  College, 
where  he  has  been  highly  successful. 

He  has  appeared  in  most  of  the  Canadian  cities,  receiving  the  warm- 
est critical  commendation.  Mr.  Martin  has  had  the  honor  of  being  made 
a  Fellow  of  the  Society  of  Science,  Literature  and  Art,  London. 

N.  CoE  Stewart. 

This  gentleman,  who  has  just  closed  his  second  term  as  president  of 
the  music  education  department  of  the  National  Educational  Association, 
was  bora  at  Hermitage,  Pa.,  July  12,  1837.  He  inherited  strong  musical 
tendencies  from  his  parents,  and  at  an  carl}-  ag.^  gave  unmistakable  evi- 
dences of  his  musical  talent.  He  was  fortunate  in  having  good  teachers  at 
school,  and  also  in  having  the  best  normal  training  in  methods  of  teach- 
ing. He  now  began  the  study  of  the  piano,  violin  and  singing  with  com- 
petent teachers,  and,  in  order  to  dcfraj''  the  expenses  of  his  costly  tuition, 
he  was  obliged  to  teach  in  winter  and  stud)'  during  the  summer.     He 

596 


^  ^^  ^^— ^  ^^  ^- 


spent  four  years  under  tlie  instruction  of  Carlo  Bassini,  Pychowsky,  John 
Zundel,  Tetedoux,  Dr.  Geo.  F.  Root,  W.  B.  Bradbury  and  Dr.  Lowell 
Mason,  all  of  whom  thought  highly  of  his  ability.  In  1864  he  founded 
the  Ohio  normal  .school  for  the  training  of  music  teachers,  and  for  twenty 
years  continued  its  sessions  during  the  summer  season.  He  has  had 
associated  with  him,  Pattison,  Biederman,  Hamlin,  Alfred  Pease,  Haner, 
Brainard,  Wright,  T.  E.  Perkins,  J.  C.  and  T.  J.  Cook,  E.  M.  Bowman, 
J.  M.  North,  Theo.  Presser,  Glover  and  others.  Very  many  excellent 
teachers  have  come  from  this  school,  and  its  methods  of  class  teaching  are 
in  high  repute.  In  1865,  in  connection  with  R.  E.  Henninges,  he  estab- 
lished the  Cleveland  Conser^-atory  of  Music,  and  the  second  year,  as  a  part 
of  the  conser\'atory  work,  at  the  request  of  the  board  of  education,  Mr. 
Stewart  marked  out  a  system  of  musical  education  in  the  public  schools. 
He  has  also  founded,  and  conducted  for  years,  the  large  Central  Musical 
Association,  which  has  given,  in  superior  manner,  the  standard  oratorios 
and  other  choral  works.  Although  partly  occupied  in  teaching  piano, 
violin  and  vocal  culture,  his  time  has  been  principallj^  devoted  to  teaching 
and  superintending  music  in  the  public  schools.  Mr.  Stewart  has 
been  president  of  the  Ohio  State  Music  Teachers'  Association,  and  was 
one  of  the  founders  and  charter  members  of  the  American  College  of 
Musicians.  In  spite  of  his  arduous  labors,  and  of  the  imperative  demands 
upon  his  time,  Mr.  Stewart  is,  at  present,  writing  ,-/  Method  for  Class 
Teaching,  and  is  making  a  series  of.nmsical  text  books  for  public  schools. 
He  has  also  written  and  compiled  numerous  singing  books  which  are  well 
esteemed. 

M.   J.  Seifert. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at  Chicago,  March  2,  1864. 
He  received  his  first  instruction  from  J.  B.  Singenberger  of  the  normal 
school  at  St.  Francis,  Wis.;  Dr.  F.  Ziegfeld,  Louis  Falk,  Gaston  Gotts- 
chalk,  Adolph  Koelling  and  others.  From  June,  1885,  to  April,  1887, 
he  was  organist  and  choir  director  at  St.  Aloysius  church,  Chicago; 
resigning  this  position,  he  devoted  himself  to  teaching  and  study  until 
Maj',  1888,  when  he  established  a  school,  at  536  North  avenue,  which  in 
August,  1889,  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Western  Musical 
Academy.  Mr.  Seifert  is  the  author  of  several  compositions,  among  them, 
]'aii  Creator,  three  chorals,  waltz  for  piano,  and  arrangements  and 
transcriptions  for  piano  and  other  in.struments.  As  an  instructor  in  piano, 
organ,  voice,  harmony  and  other  branches,  he  has  met  with  considerable 
success,  aud  as  director  of  the. above  mentioned  academy  has  an  oppor- 
tunity open  for  usefulness,  such  as  any  educator  of  his  years  might  envy. 

59* 


599 


Francis  Josicph  Campbell. 

A  noble,  gracious  life,  that  of  this  "blind  leader  of  the  blind"  (leading 
them  not  into  the  ditch,  but  out  of  it  toward  that  fuller  light  not  seen  of 
mortal  ej-es)  —  the  life  of  Francis  Joseph  Campbell,  principal  of  the  Royal 
Normal  College  and  Academj'  of  Music  for  the  Blind,  in  London,  England. 
He  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Tenn.,  Oct.  9,  1834,  and  lost  the  sight  of 
both  eyes  when  he  was  only  three  j-ears  old.  At  ten  years  old  he  became 
a  pupil  of  the  school  for  the  blind  at  Nashville,  Tenn.  His  first  music 
lesson  was  a  failure.  "I  was  asked  to  sing  a  tune,"  he  says,  "in  vain. 
The  teacher  hummed  one  for  me  to  imitate  —  also  in  vain.  It  was  dis- 
covered that  I  could  not  tell  one  tune  from  another. "  Strange,  for  in 
after  3'ears  a  famous  tenor  singer  said  of  him:  "That  blind  man,  Mr. 
Campbell,  teaches  music  better  than  any  sighted  singer  I  know."  Mr. 
Campbell  goes  on  to  tell  us:  "  Well,  I  was  considered  hopeless;  was  told 
I  could  never  learn  music,  but  must  take  to  basket  and  brush-making, 
etc.  Piano  lessons  were  regarded  as  a  waste  of  my  time,  and  forbidden. 
The  other  boys  laughed  at  me.  I  was  left  out  in  the  cold.  But,  deter- 
mined not  to  be  beaten,  I  hired  one  of  the  boys  to  give  me  secretl}^  lessons 
in  music,  and  I  practiced  whenever  I  could.  Three  months  after,  the 
music  master,  also  blind,  accidental}'  entering  the  room,  said,  'Who  is 
that  playing  the  new  lesson  so  well? '  'I,  sir.'  'You,Josie!  You  cannot 
plaj'.  Come  here.  What  have  you  learned? '  'All  that  j'ou  taught  the 
other  boys,  sir!'  He  laughed.  'Well  then,  sit  down  and  play  the  instruc- 
tion book  through  from  beginning  to  end.'  I  did  it.  Fifteen  months 
after  I  gained  the  prize  for  pianoforte  playing,  a  medal  with  the  motto: 
Musica  lux  in  icnebris  (which  motto  is  now  above  our  music  hall  at  the 
college. ' '  ' 

The  bo}-  worked  on,  practicing  from  five  to  six  hours  a  day  despite 
all  difficulties,  and,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  was  appointed  teacher 
in  that  verj^  institution  where  had  first  been  told  he  could  never  learn 
music.  He  went  on  in  this  persevering  waj-,  conquering  ever}^  obstacle, 
learning  mathematics,  Latin  and  Greek,  working  until  he  fell  ill,  and  had 
to  take  a  holiday,  bookless.  Then  he  went  back  to  Nashville,  worked 
up  the  blind  school  there  in  a  heroic  way,  the  storj^  of  which  reads  like  a 
fairy  tale,  was  appointed  music  teacher  at  the  Perkins  Institution  for  the 
Blind  at  Boston  (after  a  hard  fight  against  bad  fortune,  in  the  course  of 
which  he  nearly  starved),  and  after  eleven  j-ears  of  hard  work,  in  the  face 
of  great  trials  of  mind  and  body,  went  to  Europe.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Theo- 
dore Kullak  and  Carl  Tausig  at  Berlin,  and  in  1871  found  himself  in  Lon- 
don. He  started  a  small  .school,  then  a  larger  one,  and  finally  the  out- 
come was  the  great  college  at  Norwood,  London,  of  which  he  is  now  prin- 


Francis  J.  Cambpell. 


6ot 


cipal.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  wonderful  teacher  of  the  blind,  just  because  of 
that  unyielding  perseverance  of  his  dauntless  courage. 

"I  lately  sat  and  listened  to  a  lesson  he  gave  his  choir,"  says  the 
author  oi  John  Halifax,  Gentleman,  "  a  five-part  chorus  out  of  The  Womaji 
of  Samaria,  which  they  tried  for  the  first  time.  He  read  it  to  them  bar 
by  bar,  and  they  wrote  it  down  by  the  Braille  system  of  notation,  and  then 
sang  it  '  at  sight, '  as  we  say  —  each  separate  part,  and  then  the  whole  — 
with  scarce  an  error.  Afterward,  just  for  my  pleasure,  he  made  them 
sing  another  chorus  out  of  the  same  work,  newly  learnt,  which  they  gave 
with  a  purity  of  intonation  and  accuracy  of  musical  reading  quite  remark- 
able—  also  with  evident  enjoyment  in  this,  the  greatest  gift  that  blind 
people  can  use  for  themselves  and  the  world,  the  power  of  making 
music." 

Year  by  3'ear  poor  children  are  rescued  from  dark  misery,  young 
men  and  young  women  made  capable  of  living  independent  lives;  year  b}' 
year  they  go  out  into  the  world  and  earn  their  bread  as  vocalists,  music 
teachers,  piano  tuners,  and  the  like.  And  they  love  music  for  its  own 
dear  sake.  Campbell  teaches  them  to  feel  in  it  "  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land. ' '  He  teaches  them  to  see  with  the  human  eyes  of 
the  soul  "  that  light  that  never  was  on  land  or  sea." 

Albino  Gorno. 

This  excellent  pianist  was  born  of  a  musical  famih'  in  Cremona,  Italy. 
In  his  earliest  years  he  was  instructed  by  his  father,  David  Gorno,  who 
was  a  thorough  musician.  After  studying  pianoforte,  organ  and  harmony 
in  this  manner,  he  entered  the  Conservatory  of  Milan,  where  his  artistic 
abilities  were  recognized  and  great  things  were  predicted  of  him.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  years  he  received  three  diplomas  and  many  premiums. 
Then  Saint-Saens,  who  was  concert  touring  through  Italy,  heard  him  and 
offered  him  an  engagement,  which  was  accepted.  At  the  musical  exposi- 
tion of  Milan  in  188 1  he  gained  the  prize  medal  which  was  presented  by 
Queen  Marguerite,  of  Ital}-,  and  in  the  same  year  was  engaged  by  Adelina 
Patti,  for  her  concert  tour  through  America,  as  pianist,  accompanist  and 
voice  instructor  of  her  opera  company.  At  the  close  of  this  engagement, 
during  which  Signor  Gorno  won  a  national  reputation,  Mme.  Patti  secured 
for  him  the  position  of  piano  and  vocal  teacher  at  the  College  of  Music 
at  Cincinnati,  where  he  still  remains. 

Signor  Gorno  is  also  eminent  as  a  composer.  His  compositions  show 
great  technical  skill  and  artistic  merit.  Among  them  are  Cayitata  to  Gari- 
baldi, performed  in  New  York  in  1882;  La  Festa  dei  MonbaJiari,  cantata  for 
voices,  piano  and  orchestra;  Cuorc  c  Patria,  operetta,  performed  in  Milan; 


romanzas  for  different  voices,  Torna  ,1/icor,  La  Pazza  d"  Iscliia,  Mi 
Tradisti,  .Yoii  ti  Scordar  di  Mc,  etc.;  Ave  Maria,  for  four  voices;  many 
studies  and  fugues  for  piano;  Ave  Maria  in  canon  form;  a  nocturne,  and 
several  transcripts  for  piano. 

BusHROD  Walton  Foley, 

Conductor  of  the  Apollo  Club  of  Cincinnati,  of  the  CoUes^e  Choir,  a 
chorus  of  ladies'  voices,  and  head  of  the  choral  department  and  teacher  of 
voice  in  the  College  of  Music  of  Cincinnati,  was  born  in  Covington,  Ky., 
Jan.  31,  1845.  His  father,  a  lawyer  by  profession  and  practice,  had 
moved  from  Virginia  earl}'  in  life,  and  so  richly  was  he  esteemed  by  the 
citizens  of  his  adopted  home  that  for  fifteen  years  he  was  continued  in  the 
office  of  mayor.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  began  the  study  of  music 
when  twelve  years  of  age,  his  first  teacher  being  Frederick  Werner  Stein- 
brecher,  who  is  still  living  and  is  one  of  the  few  surviving  pupils  of  Cho- 
pin. Other  than  musical  talents  in  the  student's  nature,  however,  devel- 
oped at  an  even  pace,  and  in  May,  1867,  he  went  to  Leipzig,  where  he 
entered  both  the  conservatory  and  the  university.  Concerning  his  course 
in  the  latter,  little  is  of  more  than  relative  importance,  cheraistrj'  being  the 
specialty  in  study.  Of  the  two  busy  years  that  he  passed  in  the  old  student 
town,  but  a  small  proportion  of  the  timefound  him  at  the  conservatory.  In 
the  school  he  followed  Richter  in  theory,  and  Papier,  who  officiated  in  St. 
Thomas  church,  was  his  organ  master.  Once  free,  he  studied  piano  with 
Plaid}'.  Leaving  Leipzig  in  the  fall  of  1869,  our  student  sought  Bru.ssels, 
remaining  there  four  months.  Early  in  1870  he  was  in  Paris,  and  June 
of  the  same  year  found  him  once  more  at  home. 

He  at  once  entered  upon  his  work  as  a  teacher.  Beginning  with  1875 
he  was  for  twelve  j'ears  organist  of  the  Episcopal  church,  Covington.  In 
1874  transpired  the  event  that  was  destined  to  have  an  important  bearing 
upon  musical  historj'  in  Cincinnati  and  the  sister  cit3%  and  to  forecast  with 
a  certainty  beyond  recall  the  life  mission  of  the  man  in  his  chosen  pursuit. 
This  was  the  organization  of  the  Covington  Choral  Society.  The  jiro- 
grammes  of  their  concerts,  continued  through  four  j-ears,  bore  the  stamp 
of  a  new  character.  The  spirit  of  heaviness  that  a  perusal  of  local  history 
shows  to  have  been  dominant  before,  passed  away  as  a  cloud  from  the  sun, 
and  music  lovers  were  given  a  glimpse  of  the  coming  glory  in  the  way  of 
chorus  concert  work.  With  the  institution  of  the  College  of  Music  in 
1878,  he  was  among  the  first  engaged,  and  that  his  peculiar  qualifications 
had  been  previously  noted  is  shown  bj'  the  fact  of  his  immediate  .selection 
for  direction  of  the  chorus  classes.  The  College  Choir  —  then  a  mixed 
chorus  —  was  at  once  organized  by  him,  and  here  is  found  the  nucleus  of 

603 


the  May  Festival  Chorus,  as  President  Nichols  intended  it.  When  the 
disruption  incident  upon  the  Thomas-Nichols  dissension  took  place,  Mr. 
Foley  resigned,  and,  in  company  with  Mr.  George  Schneider  and  Mr. 
Arthur  Mees,  formed  the  Cincinnati  Music  School.  In  1886  he  returned 
to  the  college.  His  most  telling  work  thus  far  has  been  with  the  Apollo 
Club,  which  was  organized  in  1882,  and  which,  under  his  guidance,  has 
risen  to  a  superior  position  as  an  exponent  of  music  within  its  province  to 
interpret.  His  value  as  a  musician  is  enhanced  b}^  the  addition  of  manly 
attributes  of  mind  and  character  that  draw  men  close,  and  hold  them  firm 
in  the  bonds  of  an  endurnig  and  admiring  friendship.  In  his  musical 
tastes  he  is  thoroughly  cosmopolitan,  having  regard  only  for  excellence, 
and  we  know  of  no  one  more  ready  to  lend  encouragement  and  a  hearing 
to  purely  American  composers. 

Michael  Brand 

• 

Was  born  in  New  York  city,  Jan.  11,  1849.  He  began  to  learn  music 
when  he  was  only  six  years  old,  and  at  eight  we  find  him  performing  on 
the  violoncello  at  concerts.  After  playing  for  a  number  of  j-ears  in  Brand's 
band,  and  for  three  years  in  Pike's  Opera  House  orchestra,  he  was  offered 
a  place  in  Theodore  Thomas'  orchestra.  Seeing  the  advantages  he  would 
have  in  an  organization  led  by  so  competent  a  master  of  the  art,  he 
accepted  and  filled  the  position  for  about  five  years.  During  this  time  he 
became  the  favorite  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Carl  Anschutz,  with  whom  he 
resided  and  was  close  companion  up  to  the  day  of  his  death.  Under  this 
distinguished  musician  he  took  a  thorough  course  of  theoretic  training 
and  became  an  accomplished  instrumentalist.  In  1872  he  was  induced 
by  Louis  Ballenberg,  manager  of  the  Cincinnati  orchestra,  to  accept  the 
conductorship  of  that  body,  then  newly  organized.  He  yet  fills  that 
position,  and  to  him  must  be  given  the  credit  for  raising  the  organization 
to  its  present  standard  of  efficiency.  In  1880  he  undertook  the  training 
of  the  choral  forces  for  the  May  festival  at  Cincinnati,  and  achieved  great 
success.  Mr.  Brand  is  a  musical  enthusiast,  a  hard  worker  and  has  won 
a  high  reputation  as  an  exponent  of  his  art. 

L0UI.S  Ehrgott. 

Was  born  in  Cincinnati,  May  7,  1858.  The  family  were  musical 
in  taste  and  feeling,  so  that  the  surroundings  were  propitious;  but 
it  was  not  counted  as  among  the  possibilities  that  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  should  take  up  music  as  a  profession.  When  Louis  was  sixteen 
years  of  age  his  father  died,  which  frustrated  his  design  of  making  the 
son  his  successor  in  business.     Then  the  lad  tried  bookkeeping,  holding 

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/        r 


i^^i-^^.^ 


605 


out  manfully  for  a  year.  A  printing  office  attracted  him  another  year. 
But  in  the  interim  he  found  more  or  less  leisure  for  music,  and  so  was  not 
unprepared  when  asked  to  accept  the  professorship  of  music  in  the  State 
University  of  Kansas.  This  position  decided  the  question  for  him,  and 
when  twenty-one  j'ears  of  age  he  crossed  to  Liepzig  for  earnest  work, 
studying  with  Wenzel  and  Dr.  Paul  Reinecke.  At  the  end  of  three 
years,  or  in  1882,  he  returned  home  and  began  teaching  piano.  He  was 
elected  conductor  of  the  the  Harugari  Mannerchor  in  1885;  of  the  Corry- 
ville  Gesangverein  in  1886;  of  the  Musikverein  in  1887  and  of  the  festi- 
val chorus  in  1886.  Of  the  last  three  he  is  the  leader  at  this  writing, 
(1889).  "  With  the  exception  of  one  season  he  has  been  the  accompanist 
of  the  Apollo  Club  since  its  organization.  His  promise  for  the  future  will 
be  found  to  lie  in  the  direction  of  the  chorus  field. 

Charles  H.  Brittan. 

C.  H.  Brittan  was  born  in  New  York.  His  parents,  Joseph  Hughes 
Brittan  and  Marj-  A.  Gates  Brittan,  were  English  people,  and  connected 
with  some  of  the  oldest  and  most  celebrated  people  in  England.  His 
grandmother  was  a  descendant  of  the  celebrated  Gen.  Monk,  and  her 
large  estate  in  Europe  was  inherited  from  this  branch  of  the  family.  C. 
H.  Brittan,  at  an  early  age,  began  to  show  a  disposition  toward  a  musical 
career,  and  being  possessed  with  a  remarkably  pure  soprano  voice,  was, 
during  his  boyhood,  a  solo  choir  boj'  in  one  of  the  leading  churches  of 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  He  studied  the  pianoforte  under  a  number  of  celebrated 
teachers,  but  was  particularly  indebted  to  Otto  Dresel  for  the  formation  of 
his  touch  and  taste  in  pianoforte  plajnng.  Otto  Dresel  was  a  pupil  of 
Chopin  and  Mendelssohn,  and  was  particularly  gifted  as  a  delicate  player  of 
poetic  music,  and  gave  examples  of  that  tone-coloring  in  his  touch  which 
imparts  to  music  its  soul,  or  emotional  qualities,  and  brings  it  home  to 
the  listener  full  of  that  exquisite  feeling  that  touches  the'  heart.  Mr. 
Brittan  studied  the  entire  literature  of  classical  music,  from  Bach  and 
Beethoven  to  the  modern  school  of  Chopin  and  Liszt.  In  vocal  music 
Mr.  Brittan  had  a  long  training,  and  his  voice  was  formed  in  the  old 
Italian  school,  by  the  best  masters.  In  German  lied  singing,  he  studied 
with  Kriesmann,  the  celebrated  singer,  and  he  appeared  in  large  numbers 
of  concerts  in  New  England  and  the  west,  enjoying  for  a  time  the  accom- 
paniment of  the  Mendelssohn  Quintette  Club.  Mr.  Brittan  also  appeared 
with  Ole  Bull.  During  the  early  part  of  his  career,  he  enjoyed  the 
friendship  of  Signor  Brignoli  and  Mme.  Parepa,  and  gained  greatly  by 
the  artistic  help  thej'  gave  him  in  the  formation  of  his  vocal  method.  In 
1870,  Mr.  Brittan  opened  a  school  of  vocal  art  in  Chicago,  and  is  living 

606 


Victor  Garwood. 


607 


there  at  the  present  time,  in  charge  of  a  flourishing  school  of  music.  Mr. 
Brittan  was  the  first  singer  to  introduce  the  songs  of  Robert  Fr^nz,  Schu- 
bert and  Schumann  to  the  general  public  in  Chicago,  and  was  also  one  of 
the  prime  movers  in  the  formation  of  the  celebrated  Apollo  Club,  of 
Chicago.  He  has  written  extensively  on  musical  subjects.  Dwi^^kV s 
Journal  of  Music  contained  articles  from  his  pen  for  a  number  of  years. 
He  wrote  for  the  Boston  Daily  .Idvcrtiscr,  New  York  journals  of  art  and 
for  daily  papers  in  New  York  and  other  cities.  He  was  musical  critic  for 
the  Chicago  Daily  7;7(^?<«<?  for  some  time.  In  literature,  as  well  a;  in 
music,  Mr.  Brittan  enjoyed  the  friendship  of  many  celebrated  people. 
He  was  one  of  the  members  of  Mr.  Harris'  School  of  Philosoph)-,  and 
wrote  articles  on  the  Hegelian  phases  of  thought.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Literarj'  Societj-,  and  has  an  extensive  correspondence  with  men 
of  letters.  Mr.  Brittan  has  written  a  number  of  songs,  some  of  a  relig- 
ious character  and  other  of  the  ballad  style. 

Hugh  A.  Clarke 

was  born  in  Canada  in  1839,  his  father  being  J.  P.  Clarke,  Mus.  Doc,  of 
Oxford,  England,  and  professor  of  music  in  the  Upper  Canada  Universit}-, 
wliere  j-oung  Clarke  received  his  education.  He  never  attended  any 
musical  institution,  but  received  all  his  instruction  in  music,  outside  of 
that  gained  by  his  own  unaided  study,  from  his  father,  an  able  composer 
and  organist.  In  1859  ^I^-  Clarke  went  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  gained 
considerable  reputation  as  teacher  and  composer.  He  was  elected  pro- 
fessor of  music  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1875,  a  position 
which  he  still  holds.  The  musical  course  at  this  university  extends  over 
two  years  of  three  lerms  each,  the  first  j-ear  being  devoted  to  harmony, 
and  the  second  to  counterpoint  and  composition.  At  the  end  of  the 
course  diplomas  or  certificates  are  conferred  at  the  judgment  of  the  pro- 
fessor, and  by  a  subsequent  examination  and  proof  of  ability  the  student 
may  receive  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Music.  The  professor  also  gives 
each  term  a  series  of  lectures  on  harmony,  counterpoint  and  composition. 
In  1886  there  was  produced  at  the  university  the  Greek  play  The  Acliar- 
iiiaiis,  for  which  Mr.  Clarke  wrote  the  music.  This  work  was  so  merito- 
rious that  the  university  conferred  upon  the  composer  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Music.  Dr.  Clarke's  works  consist  of  songs  and  piano  pieces, 
a  method  for  the  piano  and  one  for  the  organ,  Harviony  on  the  Inductive 
Method,  published  b}-  Lee  &  Walker,  and  of  several  instructory  works  for 
the  piano.  His  labors  as  a  teacher  have  been  very  effective,  several  emi- 
nent musicians,  Wm.  W.  Gilchrist  for  example,  being  numbered  among 
his  pupils. 

£08 


Victor  Garwood. 
Mr.  \"ictor  Garwood  was  born  in  southern  Michigan  in  1862.  His 
first  musical  impressions  and  direction  toward  a  musical  education  were 
given  through  his  mother,  who  was  an  admirable  pianist.  After  this  he 
studied  with  George  Howe,  of  Nilcs,  Mich.,  a  pupil  of  Von  Bulow,  and  at 
the  age  of  fifteen  became  a  professor  of  music  in  the  Pennsylvania  State 
College,  where  he  remained  two  years,  making  concert  tours  during  the 
summer.  In  1879  Mr.  Garwood  went  to  Berlin,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years,  studying  under  Kullak,  and  afterward  with  Oscar  Kaiif,  of  the 
Royal  Conservatory.  He  returned  to  America  in  1882,  took  a  studio 
at  Weber  hall  in  Chicago,  and  has  since  gained  a  great  reputation  through 
his  artistic  playing,  and  as  a  teacher.  His  public  appearances  in  concerts 
and  at  recitals  have  been  attended  with  great  success,  and  have  com- 
manded high  commendation  from  the  musical  critics  of  the  press.  He  has 
been  a  teacher  at  the  Chicago  Musical  College  for  three  j-ears,  and  is  a 
great  favorite  with  all  his  pupils.  Mr.  Garwood  also  holds  the  position  as 
organist  and  choir  master  in  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer  in  Chicago.  His 
admirable  talent,  as  well  as  his  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  have  won  for 
him  a  ver}'  large  circle  of  friends  in  Chicago. 


610 


^4^/^^:?-^^ 


6ll 


Carl  \'.  LAcmiuxD. 
The  late  A1)1)C'  Liszt  was  extremely  averse  to  giving  written  recom- 
mendations to  his  pupils,  ])ut  he  made  an  exception  to  this  ruling  in  the 
case  of  Mr.  Carl  \'.  L,achmund,  who  now  occupies  a  position  of  eminence 
among  American  musicians,  and  is  a  particularly  conspicuous  figure  in  the 
musical  life  of  the  great  northwest.  Among  the  great  Abbe's  evidences 
of  strong  pensonal  friendship  for  and  interest  in  Mr.  Lachmund  maj-  be 
accounted  the  photographed  group  which  is  here  presented.  The  person- 
ages in  this  littlemusical  domestic  drama  are  Liszt  himself  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lachmund.  Of  these  two  have  gone  from  the  scenes  and  the  friends 
that  knew  them.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  then,  that  Mr.  Lachmund 
prizes  the  photograph  among  his  chiefest  treasures,  and  holds  it  one  of  the 
dearest  of  his  household  gods.  This  was  one  of  the  last  portraits  made  of 
Liszt,  if  not  actualh-  the  last.  Beneath  it  the  master  wrote:  "  Meinen 
lieben  Freunden  Lachmunds  dankend  ergeben.st, "  adding  his  autograph. 
Liszt  was  for  years  the  idol  of  artists  and  musicians,  and  Mr.  Lachmund 
will  doubtless  be  envied  the  friendship  of  one  of  the  great  geniuses  of  the 
centun,-,  of  whom  he  was  a  favored  pupil.  In  addition  to  the  teaching  of 
Liszt,  with  whom  he  was  at  Weimar  for  four  years,  Mr.  Lachmund  has 
enjoj-ed  remarkable  advantages.  He  studied  at  the  Cologne  Con.servatory 
from  1867  to  1871,  with  Heller,  Gernsheim,  Jensen  and  Seiss;  at  Berlin, 
in  1880,  with  Xavier  and  Phillip  Scharwenka;  also  with  Kiel  and  Mosz- 
kowski,  the  last  named  being  probablj'  the  finest  living  exponent  of  the 
music  of  Chopin,  now  that  Liszt  is  no  more.  It  will  be  seen  that  Mr. 
Lachmund's  advantages  have  been  of  the  ver}'  finest,  and  these,  added  to 
great  natural  gifts,  have  served  to  make  him  one  of  the  most  thoroughly 
equipped  musicians  in  America.  In  addition  to  this,  he  is  a  comparatively 
young  man,  and  an  ardent  and  enthusiastic  worker  in  the  cause  of  musical 
art.  He  was  born  in  Booneville,  Mo.,  in  1854;  so  that  he  is  in  reality  in 
the  prime  of  his  useful  and  brilliant  career.  He  is  a  piano  virtuoso  of 
eminence  and  one  of  the  most  successful  of  teachers,  having  at  present  a  ver}- 
large  class 'in  Minneapolis,  where  he  has  been  for  several  5'ears.  He  has 
brought  out  several  pupils  who  have  received  high  praise  abroad,  and  is 
accounted  most  successful  in  the  development  of  talented  students.  As  a 
composer  Mr.  Lachmund  has  received  high  encomiums,  and  he  has  been 
awarded  a  greater  meed  of  practical  encouragement  than  is  usualh'  the  lot 
of  American  composers  at  the  present  time.  He  has  written  works  for 
full  orchestra,  for  piano,  for  violin  and  also  chamber  music,  all  of  an  ele- 
vated and  musicianly  character.  His  Japanese  overture  is  a  charming 
conception.  It  was  played  by  Theodore  Thomas  at  the  concerts  given 
before  the  Music  Teachers'   National  Association  in   1887,   and  also  bj- 

612 


6i3 


Anton  Seidl  in  New  York,  and  in  Boston  by  the  Philharmonic  orchestra. 
A  trio  for  harp,  violin  and  'cello  was  brought  out  at  one  of  the  Philhar- 
monic concerts  at  Berlin,  and  also  at  a  smaller  concert,  making  a  pleasing 
impression.  A  concert  prelude  for  piano  was  highly  praised  by  Liszt,  and 
was  played  by  Martha  Remmert  in  her  concert  tour  through  Germany. 
This  latter  was  also  played  by  Mr.  Lavalle  in  one  of  his  recitals  of  the 
works  of  American  composers.  At  Weimar  Mr.  Lachmund  and  his  wife 
gave  three  soirees,  and  were  not  only  honored  by  Liszt's  presence,  but  by 
his  plaj-ing  solos  for  his  American  friends  at  two  of  these  musicales.  At 
these  soirees  D' Albert,  Rosenthal,  Friedheim,  Sauer,  Remmert,  Reisenauer 
and  other  fellow  students  were  present  and  took  part  in  the  programmes. 
Mrs.  Lachmund,  nee  Carrie  Josephine  Culbertson,  studied  with  her 
husband,  and  later  in  Europe,  where  they  went  together.  She  was  a 
daughter  of  W.  P.  Culbertson,  of  Fulton,  111.,  in  which  place  their  mar- 
riage took  place.  Mrs.  Lachmund  evinced  musical  taste,  both  in  her  own 
performances  on  the  piano  and  the  harp,  and  in  her  articles  from  Europe 
to  various  American  journals.  She  died  in  March,  1889,  leaving  a  large 
circle  of  musical  friends,  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  Mr.  Lach- 
mund has  always  advocated  the  importance  of  instrumentalists  becoming 
thorour-  a  musicians  and  not  mere  acrobats  of  the  keyboard.  In  order  to 
accomplish  this,  he  studied  all  important  branches  of  musical  art  with  great 
zeal,  while  making  a  specialty  of  the  piano.  His  playing  is  therefore 
characterized  by  deep  musical  comprehension  and  great  clearness  in  phras- 
ing. Mr.  Lachmund' s  particular  gift  for  instruction  was  recognized  in 
Germany.  Professor  Seiss,  of  Cologne,  recommended  him  to  the  conser- 
vatory there,  saying  that  the  directors  might  consider  themselves  very 
fortunate  if  his  .services  could  be  secured.  Hofmann,  the  German  impre- 
sario and  director  of  the  opera  at  Cologne,  engaged  him  as  private  instruc- 
tor. Later  he  accepted  a  position  as  teacher  of  advanced  classes  in  the 
Berlin  Conservator^'  of  Music,  of  which  Xavier  Scharwenka  is  director. 
So  talented  and  conscientious  a  worker  for  musical  art  cannot  fail  to  be  a 
great  power  for  good  in  the  development  of  music  in  the  west. 

Max   Leckner. 

A  name  that  is  familiar  to  musicians  and  musical  people  throughout 
the  United  States,  by  reason  of  his  having  served  as  president  of  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association,  as  well  as  by  reason  of  his 
quclities  as  a  musician  and  as  a  man,  is  that  of  Max  Leckner.  Mr. 
Leckner  has  been  identified  with  musical  interests  in  the  state  of  Indiana 
for  twenty- two  years,  and  he  has  done  zealous  and  efficient  work  for  the" 
advancement  of  the  art  of  music  in  that  commonwealth.     Assuredly  he  is 

614  - 


I 


one  of  the  pioneer  teachers  of  the  state.  Mr.  Leckner  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many; he  was  born  at  Pinne,  a  small  town  in  Prussia,  in  1842.  His  father 
was  a  teacher  of  reputation,  and  j-oung  Leckner  received  his  instruction 
under  parental  guidance,  and  afterward  completed  his  education  in  the 
colleges  of  Prussia.  He  had  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  musical  train- 
ing, in  singing,  piano  playing,  harmonj^  and  other  important  branches, 
without,  however,  intending  to  adopt  music  as  a  profession.  It  was  in 
i860  that  Mr.  Leckner,  then  eighteen  }-ears  of  age,  decided  to  make  his 
home  in  the  new  world.  He  arrived  in  the  United  States  at  the  begin- 
ning of  an  era  of  troublous  times,  and  the  unsettled  condition  of  all  indus- 
tries, as  well  as  his  own  delicate  health,  caused  him  to  hesitate  long  before 
making  his  choice  of  a  vocation.  At  length  he  determined  to  make  use 
of  his  musical  talents  and  his  artistic  equipment,  and  he  was  led  into  .so 
doing  b\'  the  fact  that  the  musical  art  in  this  country  was  at  that  time  at 
a  very  low  ebb,  if  exception  is  made  of  the  cities  of  Boston  and  New  York. 
Settling  in  Indiana  with  the  intention  of  making  that  state  his  permanent 
place  of  lesidence,  Mr.  Leckner  soon  succeeded  in  gathering  about  him  a 
large  ccterie  of  students.  His  work  is  said  by  those  who  knew  him  in 
those  earl}'  daj-s  to  have  been  exceptionall}-  earnest  and  persevering.  He 
organized  musical  societies,  directed  concerts,  and  in  every  department  of 
musical  activity  he  made  his  efforts  felt.  Indianapolis  has  had  no  more 
cogent  factor  in  the  development  of  the  citj^'s  musical  life.  For  years  he 
has  conducted  the  leading  German  society  and  the  most  prominent  Amer- 
ican association  in  Indianapolis,  and  their  best  work  has  been  done  under 
his  baton.  He  is  also  director  of  the  leading  choir  of  the  cit)-,  that  of  the 
Second  Presbyterian  church.  During  the  twenty-two  years  of  his  experi- 
ence as  a  preceptor  his  pupils  have  been  legion,  for  his  industrj^  is  one  of 
his  notable  characteristics.  His  pupils,  many  of  them,  have  gone  into 
active  service  in  the  world  of  art,  and  not  a  few  have  won  exceptional  dis- 
tinction. In  1887  the  Mu.sic  Teachers'  National  Association  paid  Mr. 
Leckner  the  compliment  of  making  him  their  chief  executive,  and  he  has 
also  held  other  important  offices  within  the  gift  of  the  society. 

William  Hexry  Donley. 

At  present  is  conspicuous  as  a  worker  for  musical  development  and 
progress  in  the  city  of  Belleville,  Out.,  Can.  Mr.  Donley  is  still  a  young 
man;  he  was  born  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  April  20,  1863,  and  the  greater 
part  of  his  musical  education  was  obtained  at  the  New  England  Conserv- 
atory of  Music.  He  studied  with  diligence  the  piano,  organ,  voice 
culture  and  theorj-,  making  a  specialty  of  organ  playing. 

He  recently  aj^peared  as  an  organist  before  the  Iowa  Music  Teachers'' 
Association,  and  won  the  most  flattering  recognition.     While  located  at 

616 


~7&W£^ta^ 


6i; 


Waterloo,  la.,  Mr.  Donlej'  did  admirable  work  for  musical  art,  as  a 
performer  and  as  a  teacher,  also  distinguishing  himself  as  choir  director 
and  a  leader  of  musical  societies.  On  the  occasion  of  one  of  Mr.  Donley's 
concerts  at  Des  Moines,  the  Register,  of  that  city,  said  of  him: 

"The  opening  offertoire  by  Mr.  Donley  was  simplj^  magnificent,  and 
the  audience  persistently  called  for  more,  but  he  was  inexorable.  In 
another  place  the  same  paper  calls  him  the  '  phenomenal  organist.'  In 
still  another  place  it  speaks  of  his  'rare  power  as  an  organist.'  This  is 
high  praise  for  a  young  man  of  nineteen  to  receive,  but  the  best  thing 
about  it  is  that  it  is  all  deserved." 

Mr.  Donley's  work  as  a  compdser  has  been  chieflj^  that  of  transcribing 
various  celebrated  works  for  the  pipe  organ,  some  of  his  fantasies  being 
among  the  most  effective  of  their  kind.  Of  original  work  as  a  composer, 
Mr.  Donley  saj'S  with  characteristic  modestj^:  "I  am  working  in  that 
line,  and  when  I  do  put  something  forth  I  hope  it  will  be  worth  the  paper 
it  is  printed  on."  He  was  married  in  1888  to  Miss  Laura  Wenslej-,  of 
Belleville.  Since  his  residence  in  Belleville  Mr.  Donley  has  received 
many  flattering  offers  from  western  cities  where  his  services  as  organist 
are  desired,  but  he  has  declined  all  these,  principalh'  for  the  reason  that 
his  parents  live  in  the  east,  where  he  eventuall)'  expects  to  make  his 
permanent  home.     Mr.  Donley  has  met  with  great  success  at  Belleville. 

Richard  A.  Heritage. 

Although  the  science  of  music  is  in  a  way  mathematical,  the  math- 
ematical mind  and  the  musical  temperament  are  generally  supposed  to  be 
quite  foreign  to  each  other.  Nevertheless,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  ^Ir. 
Richard  A.  Heritage,  of  Valparaiso,  Ind. ,  was  a  teacher  of  mathematics  be- 
fore he  began  his  career  as  a  musician.  Mr.  Heritage  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  was  born  in  the  town  of  Bryan,  in  that  state,  in  1853.  He  received  a 
scientific  education  at  Br^-an,  O.,  normal  school,  and  after  his  graduation 
he  was  engaged  as  teacher  of  higher  mathematics  in  the  same  institution. 
He  then  began  the  study  of  music,  which  he  followed  with  conscientious 
diligence.  Western  teachers  were  his  first  in.structors,  and  his  education 
in  the  art  engaged  such  men  as  W.  A.  Ogden,  J.  H.  Leslie,  S.  W.  Straub 
and  Dr.  George  F.  Root.  In  vocal  music  Mr.  Heritage  has  studied  with 
L.  A.  Phelps,  Noyes  B.  Miner,  M.  O.  Bartlett  and  L.  Gaston  Gottschalk, 
and  he  made  a  specialtj'  of  theorj-  with  such  teachers  as  Louis  Falk  and 
Carl  Koelling.  In  voice  and  theorj'  Mr.  Heritage  graduated  from  the 
Chicago  Musical  College  in  June  last.  This  applies  only  to  the  branches 
of  the  art  specified,  vocal  music  and  theory.  In  other  branches  of  music 
Mr.   Heritage  has  been  engaged  as  a  teacher  for  twelve  years,  his  first 

61S 


I 


<:Su2Jiy\^A.&f^ — 


di9 


important  position  being  that  of  musical  director  of  the  State  Normal 
School  of  Indiana,  at  Valparaiso.  Here  he  has  had  twelve  annual  exer- 
cises, with  results  decidedly  complimentary  to  him  as  an  instructor.  Mr. 
Heritage  began  publishing  The  Musical  Ideal '\\\  1881,  and  he  has  made  it 
a  musical  monthly  devoted  especially  to  the  wants  of  the  pupils  of  the 
normal  school  at  Valparaiso.  This  has  been  a  popular  success.  He  has 
also  filled  numerous  engagements  as  soloist  in  opera  and  concert  in 
many  of  the  principal  western  cities.  Mr.  Heritage  is  one  of  the  most 
enthusiastic  of  musical  workers.  His  class  of  students  of  vocal  art  is  a 
remarkably  large  one,  there  being  fifteen  hundred  singers  at  the  college 
where  he  presided  as  vocal  professor.  With  a  thorough  and  substantial 
musical  education,  abundant  energy  and  that  rare  gift,  the  faculty  for 
teaching,  Mr.  Heritage  is  a  musician  that  Indiana  may  well  be  proud  of, 
and  is  still  a  j-oung  man,  who  has  j-ears  of  usefulness  before  him. 

Chas.  W.  Landon. 

Charles  Woodworth  Landon,  teacher,  lecturer,  writer  and  director  of 
music  in  Claverack  College  Conser\'atory,  Claverack,  N.  Y.,  was  born  in 
Lakeville,  Conn. ,  June  17,  1856.  He  has  studied  with  many  of  the  leading 
teachers  of  this  country,  including  Wm.  Mason  and  \Vm.  H.  Sherwood, 
for  the  special  purpose  of  doing  superior  teaching.  He  is  one  of  the  clasg 
of  noted  American  teachers  who  are,  h\  advanced  ideas  and  methods, 
accomplishing  rapid  and  thorough  results.  The  Claverack  College  Con- 
servatory, which  was  established  b}-  him  and  is  under  his  management, 
has  earned  a  national  reputation.  What  .schools  of  theologj-,  medicine 
and  law  are  doing  toward  fitting  their  students  for  professional  work  is 
being  done  at  this  conservatory  in  his  special  normal  course  for  teachers 
of  music. 

To  his  ability  as  organizer,  energy  and  activity,  and  to  his  wide 
acquaintance  with  the  leading  musicians  of  the  coufttry,  is  due  the  organ- 
izing of  the  New  York  State  Music  Teachers'  Association,  of  which  he 
is  the  president.  The  first  meeting  of  this  association  was  held  in  the 
city  of  Hudson,  June  25  and  26,  18S9,  and  had  the  largest  attendance 
and  membership  of  any  state  association,  and  was  noted  for  bringing 
together  one  of  the  largest  numbers  of  celebrated  musicians  that  were 
ever  present  at  any  series  of  concerts  in  this  countr}-.  Mr.  Landon  is  also 
vice-president  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association  for  the  state 
of  New  York.  Notwithstanding  his  numerous  duties,  he  finds  time  to 
devote  to  literature,  and  is  a  regular  contributor  of  educational  articles 
to  several  leading  journals  of  music.  His  style  is  clear  and  forcible,  and 
his  ideas  original  and  eminently  practical. 


40 


621 


Calvix  B.   Cady. 

Though  a  young  man,  this  gentleman  takes  a  high  rank  in  the 
limited  number  of  genuine  artists  who  are  engaged  in  the  educational 
department  of  music.  He  was  born  at  Barry,  Pike  county,  111.,  June  21, 
1 85 1.  As  he  himself  relates:  "  I  have  sung  in  choruses  ever  since  I  was 
a  boy  of  nine.  Don't  k::ow  how  I  learned  to  read.  Learned  to  play 
on  an  old  melodeon,  and  also  played  on  the  drum,  fife,  flute  and  guitar.  In 
fact,  I  had  knack  of  picking  up  instruments  in  general."  In  his  boyhood 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  became  a  piano  tuner  in  the  store  of  Root  & 
Cady,  Mr.  Cady  of  the  firm  being  his  uncle.  In  this  way  he  accumulated 
funds  for  his  first  serious  study  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  where  he  was  a 
student  of  both  literature  and  music,  and  made  the  best  use  of  his  time  in 
every  direction,  including  occasional  chorus  conducting  among  liis  other 
opportunities,  and  for  two  j-ears  had  charge  of  music  in  the  public  schools. 
He  then  spent  three  years  at  the  Leipzig  conservaton,-,  and  also  pursued 
private  lessons  with  Dr.  Paul,  Dr.  Papperitz,  Richter,  Plaidy  and  Kreteh- 
man.  Returning  after  his  term  of  hard  and  conscientious  work  with  a 
broadened  musical  vision  and  a  competent  equipment,  he  taught  from 
1874  to  1879  in  Oberlin.  In  1880  the  chair  of  music  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor,  was  created  for  him,  and  he  occupied  it  with 
credit  to  himself  and  profit  to  the  institution  for  the  period  of  eight  years. 
He  now  brings  to  the  Chicago  Conservatory,  where  he  will  find  probablj'- 
a  wider  sphere  of  usefulness,  a  matured  experience  united  to  proved  ability 
as  a  musician  in  the  ver\'  best  sense  of  the  term.  He  has  also  been  during 
his  career  active  in  ever}'  work  calculated  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
art.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National 
Association,  and  the  American  College  of  Musicians,  and  has  always 
maintained  his  interest  in  these  useful  organizations.  W.  S.  B.  Mathews 
wrote  in  the  Elite  News  a  couple  of  years  ago:  "  I  have  known  for  a  long 
time  that  Cady  is  one  of  the  most  profound  musical  thinkers  in  this 
country,  and  one  of  the  few  piano  teachers  who  are  veritable  educators." 
Mr.  Cady  has  aLso  some  literary  skill  of  no  common  order,  and  many  ot 
his  articles  in  American  musical  journals  have  had  the  honor  of  reproduc- 
tion in  the  English  journals.  He  is  one  of  those  who  will  leave  in 
the  musical  work  of  his  life  a  strong  impress  upon  the  progress  of  the  art 
in  America.  He  has  an  idea  and  a  method  in  his  teaching,  and  an  object 
in  the  career  of  his  students  which  looks  to  something  higher  than  what 
is  termed  in  other  art  stud}'  the  results  of  "  cramming."  He  prefers  to  see 
the  student  thoroughly  grounded  in  the  true  idea  and  principles  of  music 
rather  than  to  turn  him  out  with  a  brilliant  equipment  of  pieces  for 
practice,   but  witl:out  any  true  musical  comprehension  of  his  own. 

622 


Charles  Frederick  Dexn^e. 
This  gentleman,  who  at  an  early  age  has  already  won  enviable  dis- 
tinction, both  in  the  field  of  composition  and  as  an  executant,  is  a  native 
American  bj-  birth,  and  owes  his  skill  entirely  to  American  training. 
Mr.  Dennee  was  born  in  Oswego,  N.  Y.,  where  his  father  was  a  hotel 
keeper.  His  musical  instinct  asserted  itself  early,  and  at  the  age  of  seven 
he  entered  upon  steady  daily  practice,  under  Mr.  Frank  Schilling,  a  local 
teacher,  at  the  same  time  attending  school  for  general  education.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent,  by  the  advice  of  his  teacher,  to  Boston,  where 
he  began  a  course  of  study  with  the  late  A.  D.  Turner,  at  the  New 
England  Conservatory,  and  a  year  later,  through  the  failure  in  health  and 
business  of  his  father,  he  was  thrown  entirely  upon  his  own  resources, 
and  was  compelled  to  work  his  own  way  in  the  world  bj-  giving  private 
lessons,  playing  at  entertainments,  etc.  In  1881  he  began  to  plaj- dancing 
music  for  Mr.  Justin,  a  Boston  teacher  of  the  Terpsichorean  art,  and  was 
thus  enabled  to  earn  the  means  to  continue  his  musical  education.  In  the 
year  following  he  began  to  do  some  small  concert  work,  and  a  taste  for 
composition  growing  upon  him,  he  entered  upon  a  course  of  harmony 
and  theor}-  with  Stephen  A.  Emery,  at  the  conser\'atory.  In  1883  he 
graduated  from  this  institution,  playing  a  difficult  programme,  embracing 
Chopin  concerto,  a  Schumann  .sonata,  with  selections  from  Liszt  and  Raff, 
and  a  couple  of  months  later,  at  commencement  exercises,  received  high 
praise  for  a  brilliant  and  artistic  rendering  of  Liszt's  E  flat  concerto.  In 
the  same  j^ear  he  was  honored  by  an  appointment  as  teacher  in  the  con- 
ser\-atory.  In  1884,  in  addition  to  his  work  in  teaching,  he  made  over 
two  hundred  public  appearances,  and  during  the  next  year,  while  simi- 
larly engaged,  wrote  a  violin  sonata,  which  created  a  marked  impression 
as  a  brilliant  musical  work.  In  1886  he  gave  a  concert  of  original 
works  to  an  immense  audience,  in  Boston,  and  made  a  highly  successful 
concert  tour  through  the  south.  The  following  year  he  decided  to 
abandon  concert  tours,  and  has  since  devoted  his  time  exclusively  to 
teaching,  for  which  he  is  eminently  fitted  and  in  which  he  takes  an 
earnest  interest,  with  occasional  recitals  and  chamber  concerts  in  Boston 
and  vicinity.  On  Aug.  21,  1888,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ada  Belle 
Crane,  of  Ottawa,  Kan.  In  this  year  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  play- 
ing and  practicing,  from  an  affliction  of  weeping  sinew,  and  has  since 
devoted  his  time  to  teaching,  writing  and  general  study,  though  he  hopes 
at  an  early  day  to  be  able  to  re-enter  the  field  as  an  executant.  On  the 
death  of  the  late  lamented  A.  D.  Turner,  Mr.  Dennee,  as  one  of  his  oldest 
and  best  pupils,  was  .selected  to  succeed  him  in  the  conservator}-,  and  has 
since  successfully  and  conscientiously  kejJt  Mr.  Turner's  system  and  ideas 

624 


OV(/^ 


; 


alive  and  in  constant  use.  Of  Mr.  Dennee's  execution,  the  Boston  Home 
Journal,  alluding  to  a  recital  at  Chickering  hall,  saN-s  "he  possesses  a 
delightfully  co:nprehensive  technique;  his  octave  plaj-ing  is  superb;  * 
*  *  his  tone  shading  is  beautiful;  added  to  this  is  a  charming  style  and 
complete  comprehension  of  the  thoughts  of  the  composer."  His  octave 
pla5-ing  has  excited  wonder  at  his  remarkable  facility  and  endurance  in 
this  style  of  execution,  and  a  fine  technique  is  characterized  bj- brilliancy, 
fire,  delicacj-  and  soul.  As  a  teacher  he  is  energetic  and  enthusiastic,  and 
has  the  facult}-  of  imbuing  his  pupils  with  the  latter  qualitj'.  In  his 
public  performances  he  has  conscientioush'  endeavored  to  elevate  musical 
taste  and  create  demand  for  the  higher  classes  of  music,  by  alwa^'S  pre- 
senting the  standard  classical  and  modern  composers.  His  work  in 
composition  has  been  such  as  to  warrant  the  impression  of  a  future  of  high 
art  performance.  His  compositions  include  piano  pieces  of  all  grades  of 
difiaculty,  songs  and  his  sonata  for  violin  and  piano,  besides  which  he  has 
several  works  of  a  higher  order  in  various  stages  of  completion,  of  which 
he  says  it  will  be  several  years  before  thej^  will  see  the  light. 
James  Hamilton  Howe. 

Mr.  James  Hamilton  Howe,  of  DePauw  University,  at  present  a 
resident  of  Greencastle,  Ind.,  is  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  wiiere  he 
was  born  in  Essex  county  in  1856.  His  first  musical  affiliations  were 
with  Boston  institutions,  which  he  entered  at  an  earlj'  age  as  a  student, 
and  with  which  he  was  afterward  connected  as  a  teacher.  He  graduated 
from  the  musical  department  of  the  Boston  University,  and  was  shortly 
afterward  introduced  by  Dr.  Tourgee  as  an  instructor  in  the  New  England 
Conservatory  of  Music,  where  he  taught  for  several  years-,  also  giving  his 
attention  to  engagements  as  organist,  choir  director,  etc.  In  1884  Mr.  Howe 
was  invited  by  Hon.  W.  C.  DePauw  to  take  charge  of  the  school  of  music  at 
the  university  that  bears  his  name,  and  success  has  followed  his 
labors  there  for  the  last  five  years.  He  has  given  concerts  and  recitals  in 
the  school  (with  artists  of  national  repute)  to  the  number  of  nearlj' 
175,  and  created  a  musical  interest  throughout  the  state.  This  has  been 
a  labor  of  love  from  the  first,  he  not  scrupling  to  work  far  into  the  night 
to  aid  his  company  of  art  seekers.  Bj-  close  application  to  his  avocation 
and  a  pleasant  word  for  student  and  teacher  he  has  made  a  success  not 
warranted  bj'  the  most  sanguine,  and  also  gained  the  friendship  of  student, 
teacher,  professor  and  trustee.  Should  he  carry  out  his  programme  for 
uniting  the  musical  forces  of  Greencastle  and  its  environs,  we  predict  for 
him  a  great  success  with  plentj'  of  friends  to  assist  him.  He  considers 
his  mission  not  only  to  interest  people  in  music,  but  also  to  endeavor 
to  lead  them  into  the  highways  of  art.     The  school  has  brought  out  many 

626 


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/^^. 


(2; 


important  works  since  Mr.  Howe's  connection  with  it,  including  the 
Messiah,  the  Creaiion,  Elijah,  St.  Cecilia's  Mass  (Gounod's),  Mendel- 
ssohn's Midsummer  NighV s  Dream  Music,  and  Hymn  of  Praise  and 
Rossini's  Stabat  Mater.  As  a  composer  Mr.  Howe's  efforts  have  been 
directed  chiefly  to  vocal  music,  though  he  has  also  written  for  piano,  organ 
and  orchestra.  He  is  an  enthusiast  on  the  subject  of  the  future  of  American 
music,  and  the  American  composers  have  in  him  one  of  their  stanchest 
friends. 

J.  Harry  Deems. 

One  of  the  prominent  organists  and  pianists  of  Baltimore  is  Mr.  J. 
Harry  Deems,  who  was  born  in  the  cit)',  that  is  now  his  field  of  usefulness, 
in  the  year  1848.  He  belonged  to  a  fine  old  Maryland  family,  and  his 
father,  Gen.  James  M.  Deems,  was  a  well  known  military  oflBcer.  When 
J.  Harry  Deems  arrived  at  the  age  of  seven,  Gen.  Deems,  who  was  an 
excellent  musician,  began  the  instruction  of  his  son  in  piano  playing,  and 
the  boy  evinced  decided  talent.  About  a  year  later  he  took,  up  the  study 
of  the  violin.  The  study  of  these  two  instruments,  as  well  as  of  vocal 
music  and  the  usual  academic  branches,  occupied  his  early  3-ears,  and,  at 
the  age  of  eleven,  he  accompanied  his  family  to  Europe,  where  he  devoted 
himself  industriously  to  the  study  of  music  and  languages.  Returning 
to  his  native  city,  after  a  year  or  more  in  Europe,  the  lad,  then  about  the 
age  of  twelve,  played  first  violin  in  an  orchestra  and  also  sang  alto  in  the 
church  of  which  his  father  was  organist.  At  about  this  time  he  began 
the  study  of  the  organ,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  he  succeeded  his  father 
as  organist,  the  elder  Deems  having  been  commissioned  major  of  the  First 
Maryland  cavalry  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  This  position  as  organ- 
ist of  the  First  Baptist  church  young  Deems  filled  successfully  for  twelve 
years  or  more.  At  fourteen  he  entered  the  Baltimore  City  College,  and  a 
year  later  he  began  to  teach  music.  At  the  earlj^  age  of  sixteen  he  was 
proffered  a  professorship  at  St.  Timothy's  Hall,  a  seminary  near  his  native 
city.  This  post  he  accepted  and  filled  for  nearly  four  years,  during  which 
time  he  vigorously  pursued  his  study  of  mathematics  and  the  classics. 
In  1868,  when  he  was  twenty  years  old,  he  was  chosen  over  fifteen  com- 
petitors as  professor  of  music  in  the  Western  Female  High  School,  and 
also  as  superintendent  of  the  musical  department  of  the  public  schools  of 
the  city.  The  public  schools  of  Baltimore  compare  favorably  in  musical 
proficiency  with  those  of  any  large  city,  and  this  is  owing  mainly  to  the 
ability  of  Mr.  Deems  as  an  organizer  and  an  instructor.  For  a  considerable 
time  he  was  director  of  one  of  the  largest  choral  societies  in  Baltimore, 
and  he  has  also  been  the  pianist  of  the  same  association.     He  has  been 

638 


exceedingly  successful  as  a  composer,  and  has  written  a  great  variety  of 
works  for  piano,  organ  and  orchestra.  Mr.  Deems  is  a  deacon  of  the  First 
Baptist  church  and  a  member  of  the  Baltimore  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association;  he  has  also  been  a  Sunday  school  instructor  from  his  early 
youth.  He  is  distinguished  for  his  virtues  as  a  Christian  gentleman  as 
well  as  for  his  artistic  talents.  In  1872  he  married  Miss  Mollie  White, 
who  attained  the  greatest  degree  of  proficiency  in  scholarship  ever  achieved 
by  any  pupil  of  the  Western  Female  High  School  since  its  establishment 
in  1850,  her  average  being  99.85  out  of  a  possible  hundred,  certainly  a 
remarkable  record.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Deems  were  blessed  with  two  sons  and 
two  daughters,  but  husband  and  children  suffered  her  loss  in  1887,  and 
Mrs.  Deems  was  sincerely  regretted  by  all  who  knew  her.  In  1873  Mr. 
Deems  was  requested  by  four  different  churches  to  become  their  organist, 
and  he  resigned  from  the  First  Baptist  to  accept  the  same  post  at  the 
Brown  Memorial  church  (Presbyterian).  During  the  long  period  of  his 
valuable  services  to  musical  art  in  Baltimore  Mr.  Deems  has  played  in 
many  concerts,  has  given  lectures  on  musical  themes,  and  has  won  fame 
in  nearly  ever>^  department  of  the  art.  In  1887  he  was  honored  by  being 
made  a  fellow  of  the  Society  of  Science,  Letters  and  Art,  of  London.  Mr. 
Deems  is  a  man  of  broad  intelligence  and  rare  mental  equipment.  He  is 
an  honor  to  the  musical  profession,  and  Baltimore  may  well  be  proud  of 
having  so  long  retained  him  in  her  midst. 

Frederick  C.  Mayer. 

As  the  pioneer  looks  with  pride  upon  a  city  that  has  arisen  where 
once  his  cabin  was  the  sole  habitation,  so  the  veteran  musician  notes  with 
satisfaction  the  development  of  musical  art  in  a  conimunitj-  wherein  he 
was  one  of  the  early  toilers.  In  the  summer  of  1854,  the  shores  of  the 
Tennessee  river  for  the  first  time  echoed  and  re-echoed  the  music  of 
Haydn's  sublime  chorus.  The  Heavens  are  Telling.  It  was  one  of  the 
first  renditions  of  oratorio  music  that  that  section  of  the  country  had 
heard.  The  scene  was  the  town  of  Athens,  Ala. ;  the  singers  were  a 
chorus  connected  with  a  local  seminary;  the  director  was  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  Frederick  C.  Mayer.  As  young  men  go  west  "to  grow  up 
with  the  country',"  so  Mr.  Maj-erwent  south  to  grow  up  with  musical  art 
in  that  section.  Born  in  the  Palatinate  (Germany),  in  1824,  he  abandoned 
his  native  country  in  1850,  after  having  devoted  several  years  to  teaching 
music  in  the  public  schools  in  Germany.  His  musical  labors  in  his 
adopted  country  began  in  the  city  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  but  he  ver>' .soon 
received  a  call  from  a  college  at  Athens,  Ala. ,  in  which  city  he  founded 
one  of  the  first  musical  societies  that  existed  in  that  section,  where  music 

629 


was  at  that  time  an  exotic  art.  This  societ}''  speedily  increased  in  mem- 
bership and  popularit}',  and  Mr.  Maj-er  brought  out  several  oratorios  and 
other  important  works  of  a  musical  character,  which  fairl)'  ' '  astonished  the 
natives,"  who,  as  a  rule,  were  quite  unaccustomed  to  music  of  this 
calibre.  From  Athens  Mr.  Maj-er  removed  to  Columbia,  Tenn.,  where 
he  was  tendered  a  similar  position;  but  after  three  j-ears'  sojourn  in  that 
city,  being  a  Fremont  man,  he  was  influenced  to  try  the  northern  states, 
and  accordingly  he  accepted  a  position  in  the  public  .schools  of  Lawrence- 
burgh,  Ind.  In  this  place  he  founded  a  musical  societj'  which  is  still  in 
existence  (to  which  Mr.  Mayer  points  with  gratification),  after  more  than 
fort}'  years.  He  was  not  satisfied  with  his  income  here,  however,  and  on 
receipt  of  an  offer  from  the  DonneLson  Universitj'  at  Winchester,  Tenn., 
he  prompth'  accepted  it  and  returned  to  the  state  which  had  been  the  arena 
of  his  former  labors.  Then  came  the  war.  Music  in  the  south  was  a  for- 
gotten art,  and  of  music  there  was  none  save  that  of  the  fife  and  the  drum. 
Educational  interests  were  almost  wholly  abandoned,  and  after  devoting 
fifteen  years  to  music  in  the  south,  when  the  art  in  that  section  could 
appreciate  pioneer  energy,  Mr.  Maj^er  left  Tennessee  and  went  to  reside 
at  Daj'ton,  O.  For  a  quarter  of  a  centurj^  this  veteran  musician  has  been 
connected  closely  with  the  educational  and  artistic  interests  of  Dayton- 
His  first  engagement  in  the  cit)'  was  as  head  of  the  musical  depart- 
ment of  the  Cooper  Seminar}-.  He  also  taught  private  pupils  and  directed 
musical  societies  until  1874,  when  he  gave  up  all  other  work  to  ser\-e  as 
teacher  of  music  in  the  public  schools  of  Daj-ton.  To  the  important 
duties  of  this  post,  Mr.  Mayer  brought  a  most  valuable  fund  of  experi- 
ence, and  that  he  has  successfully  filled  the  position  is  eloquently  attested 
by  the  fact  that  j'ear  after  year  he  has  been  reappointed  by  the  board  of 
education.  As  a  composer,  Mr.  Mayer  has  done  valuable  and  practical 
work.  He  has  been  particularly  successful  as  a  writer  and  compiler  of 
song  books  for  the  use  of  schools,  and  he  has  also  written  numerous 
works  for  voice  or  piano.  Although  he  is  sixty-five  j^ears  of  age,  he  is  in 
vigorous  health,  and  he  is  as  enthusiastic  in  his  zeal  for  art  as  when,  a 
3'oung  man  of  twentj'-five,  he  first  crossed  the  ocean  and  became  a  factor 
in  the  development  of  music  in  the  south.  In  ]Mr.  Maj'er's  own  words 
this  sketch  may  be  closed:  "  When  I  look  back  to  the  days  when  I  com- 
menced m>-  work,  and  compare  the  musical  standard  of  those  dd\'s  with 
that  of  the  present,  I  feel  that  we  old  music  teachers  ma}'  claim  with  some 
right  a  share  in  the  great  musical  progress  of  this  country. ' ' 


630 


E.MiL  Mahr 

was  bora  at  Wiesbaden,  March  25,  1851,  the  son  of  a  physician  of  that 
place.  As  early  as  1868  he  was  sufficientlj^  advanced  as  violinist  to 
appear  in  a  concert  given  in  Wiesbaden,  by  Wilhelmj,  and  in  1870  he 
went  to  Berlin  to  study  with  Joachim.  Here  he  remained  four  years, 
studying  and  making  several  concert  tours,  one  with  Dr.  Louis  Maas,  at 
that  time  resident  at  Leipzig,  and  in  1876  went  with  Wilhelmj  as  one  of 
the  first  violins  to  Bayreuth  in  the  Wagner  festival.  Wagner  person- 
ally complimented  him  repeatedly  for  his  satisfactory  playing,  and  made 
much  of  him.  In  1877  ^*^  '^^'^^  appointed  concertmaster  of  the  orchestra  at 
Mayence,  one  of  the  best  in  Germany,  the  conductor  being  E.  Steinbach. 
He  spent  seven  years  in  London  as  solo  violinist  and  conductor,  and  in  1887 
accepted  a  call  to  the  violin  professorship  of  the  New  England  Conserva- 
tory, where  he  is  making  a  distinguished  record. 

Orvin  L.  Fox, 

Editor  and  proprietor  of  The  Indicator,  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  he 
was  born  in  the  town  of  South  Hardwick,  Lamoille  county,  Jan.  16, 
1844.  His  father,  John  Fox,  was  an  officer  who  served  with  distinction 
in  the  war  of  18 12.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  worked  on  a  farm  until 
his  eighteenth  3'ear,  after  acquiring  a  substantial  education  in  the  excel- 
lent spools  of  New  England.  In  1862  he  moved  to  Sanborn  ton  Bridge, 
New  Hampshire,  where  he  engaged  with  a  large  woolen  factory,  for  a 
term  of  one  year,  during  which  period  he  mastered  the  running  of  every 
machine  connected  with  the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods,  from  the 
'  'picker' '  to  the  '  'finisher. "  In  1 863  he  went  to  Boston  and  from  that  citj'  he 
ran  a  peddler's  wagon  into  the  surrounding  Massachusetts  towns  after  the 
fashion  in  which  '  'Jim' '  Fiske,  the  whilom  railroad  magnate,  founded  his 
colossal  fortune.  Mr.  Fox  met  with  success  in  this  business,  and  in  1865 
went  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged  in  the  director}''  business,  being  con- 
nected with  Richard  Edwards  in  the  publication  of  the  Mississippi  River 
Gazetteer  and  Directory.  In  1866  he  removed  to  Chicago  and  purchased 
a  paper  called  the  Railroad  and  Merchants  Journal,  the  first  railroad  paper 
of  any  note  published  in  this  country.  After  conducting  this  paper  for 
some  time,  Mr.  Fox  sold  out,  and  he  afterward  was  associated  with 
various  parties  in  the  publication  of  The  Land  Owner,  The  American 
Builder  and  the  N^atio)ial  Live  Stock  Journal.  After  the  great  Chicago  fire 
Mr.  Fox  started  The  JVestern  Manufacturer,  also  The  Horscshoer  and 
Hardware  Journal,  which  are  still  in  existence.  In  1879  Mr.  Fox  began 
the  publication  of  The  Indicator,  which  has  steadily  grown  in  favor  as  a 
fair,  able  and  impartial  nuisical  journal.  It  gives  equal  representation  to 
the  interests  of  the  musical  profession  and  the  music  trades. 

632 


Jpp^^^^ 

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7  '^<2-:eL^z^ 


633 


Mr.  James  M.  Tracy. 
A  diligent  and  enthusiastic  .vorker  for  the  cause  of  music  in  America 
is  Mr.  James  M.  Tracj',  who  at  the  present  time  is  actively  engaged  as 
a  teacher  in  Boston.  Mr.  Trac}'  is  a  native  of  the  good  old  New  England 
town  of  Bath,  N.  H.,  but  his  parents  removed  to  Concord  when  he  was 
very  j'oung,  and  it  was  in  the  city  schools  of  the  latter  place  that  he  received 
his  early  education  and  imbibed  a  love  for  the  art  to  which  he  has  devoted 
his  career.  He  was  born  in  1839,  and  at  an  early  age  he  began  the  study 
of  music,  under  the  guidance  of  John  Jackman,  a  teacher  of  considerable 
repute  locally.  Outgrowing  the  capabilities  of  his  instructor,  he  made 
his  way  to  Boston,  where  he  pursued  his  studies  for  two  years  with  L.  H. 
Southard  and  Carl  Hause.  He  gave  such  striking  evidence  of  the  pos- 
session of  unusual  talents  that  he  was  encouraged  to  go  abroad  to  com- 
plete his  education.  This  he  did,  and  selected  for  the  purpose  that  a/ma 
viater  of  artists  and  teachers,  the  Leipzig  Conservatory.  For  two  years 
he  remained  at  this  unsurpassed  school,  and  then  continued  with  private 
les.sons  under  such  teachers  as  Louis  Plaid}-,  Dr.  Julius  Knorr  and  E.  F. 
Richter.  Mr.  Tracy  afterward  went  to  Weimar,  where  he  remained  for 
nearl}^  a  year.  Here  he  studied  the  organ  and  harmonj'  with  Prof.  J.  G. 
Toepfer,  while  Franz  Bendel  and  the  Abbe  Liszt  gave  him  his  finishing 
touches  in  piano  virtuosit3^  Returning  to  this  countrj^  Mr.  Tracy  first 
located  at  Rochester,  N.  Y. ,  and  he  remained  in  that  city  for  a  period  of 
five  years,  acting  as  instructor  for  three  young  ladies'  seminaries,  and 
winning  golden  opinions  as  an  organist  by  his  admirable  work  at  Grace 
Episcopal  church.  In  1871  Mr.  Tracy  entered  the  Boston  Consen-atory 
as  teacher  of  piano,  organ  and  theorj-,  and  he  remained  in  that  institution 
for  eleven  years,  his  well  considered  work  being  a  feature  of  the  conserva- 
tor3''s  success  during  that  period.  Since  severing  his  connection  with  the 
conser\-atory,  Mr.  Tracy  has  devoted  himself  to  private  teaching  in 
Boston,  giving  a  portion  of  his  time  each  week  to  classes  at  Dean  Acad- 
emy, at  Franklin,  Mass.,  where  he  is  at  the  head  of  the  musical  depart- 
ment. An  idea  of  the  amount  of  work  that  Mr.  Tracj-  has  accomplished 
may  be  gleaned  from  the  statement  that  he  gives  everj^  year  a  series  of 
classical  concerts  in  Boston,  and  for  these  he  has  just  announced  the 
eighteenth  season.  Mr.  Tracy  has  found  time  and  inclination  to  write 
extensively  and  ably  upon  all  subjects  cognate  to  musical  art.  As  a 
critic  his  acumen  and  his  ju.stice  are  alike  acknowledged,  and  manj'of  his 
compositions  have  met  with  marked  favor.  Most  of  these  works  consist 
of  thorough  and  practical  books,  relating  to  the  theory  of  music,  which 
are  valued  wherever  they  have  been  introduced.  Mr.  Tracj'  is  a  hard- 
working student,  and  he  has  been  a  highl}-  successful  teacher. 

634 


John  Jkffers. 

Born  oil  a  farm  near  Massillon,  O.,  in  i860,  and  brought  up  to  a 
farmer's  life,  John  Jeffers  hsd  no  great  opportunities  for  musical  education. 
Still  he  loved  music  and  love  soon  found  out  a  way  to  study  in  some 
fashion,  however  imperfect.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  began  to  teach 
school  and  attend  college,  still  continuing  his  musical  studies,  and  gaining 
whatever  additional  knowledge  he  could  whenever  chance  brought  him  in 
contact  with  musicians.  The  release  from  manual  labor  was  a  glad  one 
for  the  young  man,  and  he  made  rapid  progress.  For  a  while  he  attended 
medical  lectures  at  the  Western  Reserve  Medical  College,  Cleveland,  O., 
but  the  musical  instinct  in  him  was  too  strong  to  be  smothered.  He  went 
back  to  his  art  and  began  teaching,  not  without  success.  In  the  spring 
of  1886  he  removed  to  Chicago,  completed  his  studies  and  won  reputation 
as  a  teacher,  in  which  work  he  is  still  engaged.  IMr.  Jeifers  is  also  the 
composer  of  several  pieces  for  the  piano,  principally  of  the  lighter  kind, 
and  of  a  book  adapted  for  self  instruction  on  the  piano.  Mr.  Jeffers  has 
decided  literary  ambitions,  and  is  already  known  creditably  from  his  work 
as  co-editor  of  The  Musical  Manual. 

George;  Schneider. 
This  well  known  pianist  and  teacher  was  bom  in  Marburg  (Hessen- 
Cassel)  in  1844.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Moscheles,  Plaidy  and  Richter  at 
Leipzig,  in  1862  and  1863.  He  seems  to  have  made  excellent  use  of  his 
opportunities,  for,  after  leaving  Leipzig,  he  commenced  to  teach  music 
with  great  success  in  Hungary.  He  lived  there  for  three  years,  continu- 
ing his  studies  all  the  time,  and  in  1866  came  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  has 
ever  since  resided,  and  where  his  artistic  work  has  placed  him  in  the  front 
rank  of  pianists  and  teachers. 


I 


^ 


CHAPTER  XX. 
Composers  of  Salon  Pieces  and  Chamber  Music. 

ONSIDERING  all  the  circumstances,  the  results  of  the  first. hun- 
dred years  of  American  musical  life  are  surprisingly  rich.  In 
the  nature  of  the  case,  it  is  still  too  soon  to  expect  a  school  of 


^j^  national  music,  in  any  important  particular  different  from  that  of 
t)?  Europe.  Our  j-oung  musicians  study  in  Europe,  they  speak  and 
\  think  about  music  iiji  foreign  tongues,  and  foreign  models  are  the 
subjects  of  imitation  by  them,  not  only  in  their  school  daj-s,  but  later, 
when  they  would  appeal  to  the  public  upon  their  own  amount  as  tone- 
poets.  Music  has  been  created  in  America  within  the  period  covered  by 
the  present  work.  An  experienced  musician,  educated  at  Leipzig, 
Mr.  John  F.  Petri,  speaks  of  the  condition  of  popular  taste  in  Balti- 
more when  he  landed  there  in  1831.  He  says:  "  When  I  arrived  in 
Baltimore  in  1831  music  was  j-et  in  its  infancy  or  cradle.  Even  in  good 
society  and  among  well  educated  people  nothing  was  appreciated  beyond 
waltzes,  marches  and  variations  on  some  familiar  theme,  or  simple  airs  from 
some  of  Rossini's  operas.  The  Battle  of  Prague,  by  Kotzwara,  the  over- 
ture to  The  Caliph  of  Bagdad,  Beethoven's  grand  waltz.  Von  Weber's 
last  waltz  and  Steibelt's  Storm  Rondo  were  fashionable  music.  There 
were  a  few  educated  musicians  or  '  professors  of  music  '  as  thej'  were  called, 
among  them  were  H.  Giles,  C.  Meinecke,  John  Nenninger,  Henry  Diet- 
mann  and  your  humble  servant  who  worked  hard  for  better  music." 

The  condition  of  affairs  thus  simply  characterized  by  Mr.  Petri  was 
general  throughout  the  country.  In  New  York  musical  taste  was  farther 
advanced  at  that  time,  but  even  in  Europe  the  taste  was  then,  and  con- 
tinued to  be  for  some  j'ears  later,  for  much  the  same  kind  of  music  as  this 
described  by  him.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in  1831  only  the  earlier 
parts  of  the  Beethoven  music  had  become  known  to  the  musical  world 
outside  the  circle  of  most  advanced  musicians  in  Vienna  and  a  few  other 
cities  of  Germany.  Schubert  was  entirely  unknown,  and  Schumann, 
Mendelssohn  and  Chopin  were  only  new  composers,  as  j'et  unproved.     In 

636 


spite  of  the  novelty  of  the  modern  art  in  general,  and  the  newness  of 
America  in  it,  in  particular,  our  composers  have  already  made  an 
extremely  creditable  showing.  At  a  single  stride,  as  we  might  say,  they 
have  placed  themselves  abreast  of  composers  in  similar  provinces  abroad, 
especially  in  the  province  of  the  pianoforte,  where  the  American  student 
is  on  a  par  with  the  European,  in  opportunities  for  familiarizing  his  ear 
with  the  peculiarities  of  the  instrument,  and  its  possibilities. 

Louis  Moreau  Gottschalk. 

This  gifted  artist  and  composer  was,  in  his  daj',  by  far  the  most 
prominent  representative  of  the  musical  life  of  America,  and  enjoyed  a 
fame  which  has  not  been  attained  by  any  succeeding  pianist,  though 
there  are  some  to-day  who  have  reached  a  higher  musical  plane  of  excel- 
lence, at  least,  in  the  art  of  composition.  He  was  a  native  of  New 
Orleans,  La.,  where  he  was  born  May  8,  1829.  His  father  came  to 
Louisiana  from  England,  and  his  mother  was  Aimee  Marie  de  Brasle. 
His  remarkable  musical  talent  made  its  appearance  at  the  early  age  of 
four,  and  he  was  placed  under  charge  of  Mr.  Litellier,  a  New  Orleans 
musician,  under  whom  he  made  such  progress  that  at  the  age  of  six  he 
was  on  one  occasion  permitted  to  play  the  organ  in  church.  He  at  the  same 
time  began  the  study  of  the  violin  under  Mr.  El}',  and  at  the  age  of  eight 
appeared  in  public  at  a  benefit  concert  of  M.  Miolan,  a  violinist  connected 
with  the  French  opera.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  sent  to  Paris,  where 
he  took  lessons  under  Charles  Halle,  and  shortly  afterward  under  Camilla 
Stamaty,  studying  harmony  with  M.  Maledan.  In  1S44  he  made  his 
d3Hf  as  a  composer  with  two  ballades,  Ossian  and  Dansedcs  Ombres.  In 
1846  he  made  a  tour  through  the  Vosges,  and  in  the  season  of  1846-47 
gave  a  series  of  concerts,  associated  with  the  renowned  Hector  Berlioz,  at 
the  Italian  opera.  The  following  summer  he  visited  Switzerland,  and 
returning  to  Paris,  gave  a  series  of  concerts,  in  which  he  met  with  flatter- 
ing success.  In  1849  he  made  a  tour  through  France  and  Spain,  remain- 
ing two  years  in  the  latter  country,  and  on  his  return  to  Paris  in  1852 
created  a  genuine  furore  by  his  unexampled  performances  on  the  piano, 
both  in  his  own  compositions  and  those  of  the  great  ma.sters.  On  his 
leaving  for  New  York  early  in  1853,  Berlioz  wrote  of  him,  Feb.  4  of  that 
year: 

Gottschalk  is  one  of  the  very  small  number  who  possess  all  the  different  ele- 
ments of  a  consummate  pianist  — all  the  faculties  which  surround  him  with  an 
irresistible  prestige,  and  give  him  a  sovereign  power.  He  is  an  accomplished  musi- 
cian —  he  knows  just  how  far  fancy  may  be  indulged  in  e.xpression.  He  knows  the 
limits  beyond  which  any  liberties  taken  with  the  rhythm  produce  only  confusion 
and  discord,  and  upon  these  limits  he  never  encroaches.  There  is  an  exquisite  grace 
in  his  manner  of  phrasing  sweet  melodies  and  throwing  off  light  touches  from  the 
higher  keys.      The   boldness  and  brilliancy  and   originality    of  his    play  at   once 

41  637 


dazzle  and  astonish,  and  the  infantile  naivete  of  his  smiling  caprices,  the  charm- 
ing simplicity  with  which  he  renders  simple  things,  seem  to  belong  to  another  indi- 
viduality distinct  from  that  which  marks  his  thundering  energy — thus  the  success 
of  M.  Gottschalk  before  an  audience  of  musical  cultivation  is  immense. 

He  gave  his  first  American  concert  at  Niblo's  on  Feb.  ii,  1853,  and 
met  with  a  flattering  reception.  In  October  of  that  year  he  gave  a  con- 
cert in  the  music  hall,  Boston,  but  was  coldly  received,  and  met  with 
unfair  treatment  from  the  critics,  who  at  that  time  could  see  nothing  of 
merit  that  was  not  of  German  origin.  During  the  winter  and  succeeding 
summer  he  gave  concerts  throughout  the  middle  states,  going  to  New  Or- 
leans, returning  to  Xew  York  in  September  and  appearing  in  Philadelphia 
in  November.  He  then  went  to  the  West  Indies,  where  he  remained  six 
years,  returning  to  New  York  in  February,  1862,  and  appearing  in 
April  of  that  year  in  Chicago  with  Carlotte  Patti,  George  Simpson  Morcue 
and  Carl  Bergmann.  In  1865  he  sailed  for  San  Francisco,  thence  to 
Chili,  subsequently  touring  through  the  vSouth  American  states.  In  Maj', 
1869,  he  went  to  Rio  Janeiro,  Brazil,  where  he  organized  a  grand  musical 
festival  which  was  given  at  the  opera  house  Nov.  26.  During  the  per- 
formance he  was  seized  with  illness.  He  was  removed  to  Tijuca  in  the 
hope  that  the  air  of  a  higher  level  would  relieve  him,  but  died  there  on 
Dec.  18,  1869.  As  a  pianist  Gottschalk  possessed  brilliant  powers  of  tech- 
nique and  expression. 

Art  was  to  him  a  religion.  While  he  was  playing  he  became  utterly 
absorbed  in  the  music,  and,  watching  his  face,  it  seemed  as  though  he  was 
looking  far  beyond  the  present  scene,  and  translating  on  his  instrument 
the  poem  which  was  being  sung  in  his  soul.  The  French  said  of  him  : 
//  est  ininix  que  bien,  and  a  French  writer,  speaking  of  his  plaj'ing,  saj-s: 
"  His  talent  united  power  and  grace,  precision  and  originality,  wonderful 
playftilness  with  the  utmost  severitj-  of  stjle  ;  he  was  at  the  same  time 
tender  and  elegant,  nervous  and  pathetic,  full  of  finish  and  expression, 
not  forgetting  poetrj-  ;  in  short,  he  charmed,  seduced,  compelled,  sub- 
jugated." As  pianist  and  composer  perhaps  the  adjective  that  best 
describes  his  work  is  "  finished."  He  played  music  as  he  wrote  it  —  lov- 
ingly, throwing  into  its  expression  all  his  strongl}-  marked  individualit}'. 

Among  his  works  are  Manccnillicr,  Chasse  dc  Jeune  Henri,  Songe  (T 
une  Null  d' Ele  and  Moisonneuse  Mazurka,  1847  ;  Carnaval  de  Venice, 
Jcrusaletn,  Chant  du  Soldat,  Ricordati  and  Valse  Poctique,  1857I  March 
Solcnnellc,  Mihuit  h  Seville  and  Rcfilcts  du  Passe,  1858  ;  Manchega 
(etude).  Souvenir  de  la  Havane,  Ardennes,  Jeunesse  Afuzurka,  La  Chute 
des  Feuilles,  i860;  Polonia,  1861  ;  Caprice,  O  Ma  Charmante,  Caprice 
Suis  Moi  and  Berceuse,  1861  ;  several  songs,  1863  ;  La  Colombe,  Ojos 
Criollos,  Misere  du    Trovatore,  Riponds  Moi  (duo)  overture  to    JVilliam. 

Tell  and  songs,  1864,  and  a  song  and  duo,  La  Galina. 

638 


William  Mason,  Mus.  Doc. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  be  able  to  open  the  biographical  department  of  this 
work,  devoted  to  the  more  important  figures  in  American  musical  life, 
with  the  name  of  Dr.  William  Mason.  For  several  reasons:  Because  he 
is  a  thoroughly  representative  American  artist;  because  of  his  distin- 
guished eminence  in  the  profession  of  music;  because  of  his  high  popu- 
larity with  musicians  everywhere,  wlio  have  ever  been  brought  into 
contact  with  him,  or  who  have  knowledge  of  him;  and  lastly,  because  he 
is  the  son  of  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  and  seems  in  his  art  work  and  life  to  fully 
exemplif}-  the  results  which  musical  culture  in  America  has  reached  very 
largely  through  the  labors  of  the  late  Dr.  Mason.  William  Mason  was 
born  in  Boston,  Jan.  24,  1829.  At  a  very  early  age  he  manifested  a 
striking  musical  talent,  and  at  seven,  on  one  occasion,  played  the  accom- 
paniment to  the  choir  at  the  Bowdoin  street  church,  his  father  standing 
beside  him  and  filling  in  the  interludes.  Though  Dr.  Mason  was  proud 
of  and  gratified  at  his  son's  natural  talent  in  an  art  in  which  his  own  life 
was  bound  up,  he  had  no  desire  to  see  the  bo.  adopt  music  as  a  jDrofession, 
and  hence  abstained  from  encouraging  him.  Young  Mason,  however, 
persevered  in  self-study,  and  under  his  mother's  supervision  practiced  for 
one  hour  every  day,  and  in  this  way  carefully  mastered  the  elementary 
principles  of  the  art.  About  1844  he  was  placed  under  the  care  of  Rev. 
Dr.  .Thayer,  of  Newport,  for  intellectual  training,  and  while  there  plaj'ed 
the  organ  in  his  preceptor's  church.  On  his  return  to  Boston  he  played  the 
organ  for  his  father's  choir,  and  at  the  same  time  took  lessons  on  the  piano- 
forte from  ]\Ir.  Henry  Schmidt,  a  professional  music  teacher.  He  made  his 
first  public  appearance  as  a  pianist  at  one  of  the  s}-mphony  concerts  of  the 
Boston  Academy  of  Music,  given  at  the  Odeon,  March  7,  1846,  and  a  few 
months  later,  1846-47,  played  the  pianoforte  part  throughout  the  entire 
series  of  chamber  concerts  given  by  the  Harvard  Musical  Association. 
He  also  made  many  appearances  in  other  cities,  and  began  to  be  talked 
about  as  a  rising  and  talented  pianist.  At  this  time  the  elder  Mason  had 
in  contemplation  a  clerical  career  for  his  son,  but  as  the  latter  leaned  more 
and  more  strongly  to  music,  it  was  decided  to  send  him  to  Germany  for 
education  in  music.  That  he  should  become  a  teacher  of  the  art.  how- 
ever, was  not  thought  of,  as  he  was  in  those  days  characterized  by  extreme 
diffidence,  and  it  was  not  till  later  that  he  gave  evidence  of  the  inheritance 
of  those  keen  analytical  qualities  by  which  the  late  Dr.  Mason  was 
mark-ed,  and  which  have  in  more  recent  years  so  eminently  distinguished 
the  subject  of  this  .sketch.  At  Leipzig,  in  1S49,  he  entered  upon  the 
study  of  the  pianoforte  under  Moscheles,  of  harmony  under  Moritz 
Hauptmann,  and  instrumentation  under  E.  F.  Richter.     Subsequently  he 

640 


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641 


studied  pianoforte  at  Prague,  Bohemia,  under  Alexander  Dreyschock,  and 
during  a  portion  of  the  years  1853  and  1854  was  with  Liszt,  at  Weimar. 
Among  his  associate  students  at  this  Mecca  of  aspiring  art  were  Anton 
Rubinstein,  Hans  von  Bulow,  Karl  Klindworth  and  Dionys  Priickner. 
It  was  impossible  that  with  a  natural  musical  faculty,  with  such  a  teacher 
and  with  such  a  musical  atmosphere.  Mason  should  not  become  an  accom- 
plished musician.  He  was  some  five  years  abroad,  during  which  he 
played  with  good  success  in  Prague,  Frankfort  and  Weimar,  and  in  1853 
made  a  brief  trip  to  London,  where  he  appeared  at  a  concert  given  at 
Exeter  hall,  by  the  Harmonic  Utiion  Societ}-,  playing  Weber's  Concert- 
stuck,  with  orchestral  accompaniment.  Sir  Jules  Benedict  conducting  the 
orchestra.  Here  his  success  was  of  the  most  gratifj-ing  description.  He 
pla3T:d  at  one  other  concert  in  London,  returning  to  the  prosecution  of  his 
studies  in  Germany.  He  returned  to  America  in  July,  1S54,  and  shortly 
after  his  arrival  set  out  on  a  concert  tour,  playing  first  in  Boston,  then  in 
New  York,  afterward  in  the  larger  New  England  cities,  then  through 
New  York  state,  Ohio,  etc.,  to  Chicago,  giving  concerts  with  succe.ss  at 
most  of  the  larger  places  along  the  route.  These  concerts  were  given 
entirely  without  assistance,  Mr.  Mason  playing  through  a  programme  of 
some  ei^ht  or  ten  pianoforte  pieces,  illustrating  different  st5-les,  and  hold- 
ing the  ii;terest  and  attention  of  the  audiences  to  the  end.  It  is  believed 
that  these  were  the  first  concerts  of  the  kind  consisting  of  pianoforte  play- 
ing solely,  without  other  attraction,  given  either  in  this  country  or 
abroad,  although  in  more  modern  times  they  have  become  quite  frequent. 
Concert  giving,  however,  was  distasteful  to  Mr.  Mason,  as  he  disliked 
traveling  and  the  necessity  of  repeating  the  same  pieces  so  constantly,  and 
much  preferred  a  stationarj-  home  life.  Consequently,  on  his  return  from 
this  tour,  he  settled  in  New  York,  where  he  has  since  mainly  occupied 
himself  in  teaching,  playing  in  public  onl}-  occasionally.  In  the  winter 
of  1855-56,  he  established,  in  connection  with  Carl  Bergmann,  Theodore 
Thomas,  J.  Mosenthal  and  George  Matzka,  a  series  of  classical  soirees,  at 
which  the  instrumental  works  of  Haydn,  Mozart,  Beethoven,  Schubert, 
Schumann,  etc.,  were  performed.  At  the  end  of  a  j-ear  or  so,  Mr.  Berg- 
mann withdrew  and  his  place  was  afterward  supplied  hy  Mr.  F.  Bergner. 
Under  the  new  organization  the  concerts  were  continued  for  about  twelve 
years,  until  1868,  and  acquired  a  wide  reputation  as  the  "Mason  and 
Thomas  Soirees  of  Chamber  Music. ' '  Many  of  the  works  of  Robert  Schu- 
mann were  produced  for  the  first  time  in  this  country  at  these  concerts, 
and,  indeed,  there  was  hardly  a  progratnme  in  which  this  now  world- 
renowned  master  was  not  in  some  way  represented.  Mr.  Mason,  i;i  con- 
nection with  Mr.  E.  S.  Hoadly,  is  the  author  of  two  pianoforte  methods, 


aud  also  a  s>-ste:n  oi  Pianoforte  Technics,  which  was  pubhshed  in  1878,  in 
which  latter  work  Mr.  W.  S.  B.  Mathews  was  connected  with  him  as 
associate  editor.  During  the  last  thirty  j'ears  he  has  followed  very  closely 
his  vocation  as  a  teacher  of  the  pianoforte,  and  many  of  his  pupils  have 
attained  eminence  in  the  musical  world,  some  of  them  being  artists  of  the 
front  rank.  Among  them  may  be  mentioned  Mr.  William  H.  Sherwood 
and  Mrs.  Sherwood,  INIrs.  Agnes  Morgan,  Miss  Jessie  Pinney  and  ^Ir..  E. 
M.  Bowman.  In  July,  1872,  he  received  from  Yale  College  the  degree  of 
Mus.  Doc,  a  few  weeks  before  the  death  of  his  father,  giving  him  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  this  mantle  fall  on  the  son.  In  regard  to  Mr.  Mason's 
pianoforte  compositions,  an  eminent  teacher  and  musical  critic  says: 

".\s  a  composer  for  the  pianoforte,  the  name  of  William  Mason  stands  very 
high  as  well  in  Europe  as  in  America.  Every  one  of  his  pieces  is  a  gem  of  admirable 
finish.  In  them  he  has  freely  employed  his  great  mastery  of  the  piano  and  his  rare 
ability  as  a  harmonist.  A  number  of  them  display  a  high  degree  of  spontaneous 
melodic  invention- — as,  for  instance,  the  beautiful  Amitie  pour  Afnitie.  But,  in 
general,  Mr.  Mason's  works  excel  in  those  qualities,  too  rare  in  American  music, 
refinement  and  exquisite  elegance.  One  may  search  modern  pianoforte  literature 
through  and  nowhere  find  more  delicate  and  beautiful  pieces  than  the  Berceuse,  A/oti- 
ody  and  Reverie  Poeliqiie.  All  these  require  superior  qualities  of  playing  for  their  just 
performance  ;  but  when  played  with  the  ease  and  expressive  coloring  the  author  gives 
them,  they  are  works  long  to  be  remembered.  In  point  of  style  they  are  very 
original.  Not  but  what  one  may  find  here  a  trace  of  Schumann,  and  there  a  touch  of 
Chopin,  for  not  to  have  profited  by  the  discoveries  of  those  who  wrote  earlier  is  by 
no  means  a  credit  to  a  writer.  But  the  style  in  its  entirety  is  original.  Its  most 
noticeable  peculiarities  are  its  avoidance  of  hackneyed  chord  progressions  and 
familiar  formulas,  and  especially  the  fact  that  all  dissonances  are  as  perfectly  resolved 
as  if  they  had  occurred  in  strict  writing.  In  propriety  and  elegance  of  harmonic 
diction,  ^lason  is  not  only  alone  among  American  writers,  but  equaled  b}-  very  few 
in  Europe.  It  is  this  mastery  of  the  art  of  expression  that  gives  such  piquancy  and 
enjoyability  to  the  grotesque  trifles  he  sometimes  indulges  in  ;  like  the  curious 
fantasia  on  Ah!  vous  dirais-je.  manian  {Haste  T/iee,  IViiiter),  \.\\^  Romance  Etude 
in  G  Minor,  and  his  improvisations  on  familiar  airs.  These  are  really  pianoforte 
witticisms.  They  are  the  playful  moments  of  a  sprightly  and  cultivated  fancy,  and  we 
look  in  vain  elsewhere  for  their  parallel.  The  light  drawing  room  pieces,  so  well 
known,  the  mazourkas,  polkas,  dances  and  galops,  although  mere  moments  of  play, 
and  not  of  serious  artistic  import,  are  written  with  the  same  care  and  refinement  as 
the  more  lasting  works.  It  is  also  to  be  set  down  to  Mason's  credit,  although  doubt- 
less to  the  loss  of  the  public,  that  he  has  never  perpetrated  an  operatic  fantasia  or  a 
set  of  variations  on  familiar  airs.  The  teacher  often  regrets  Mason's  reserve  in  this 
respect,  for  no  one  else  knows  better  how  to  embellish  and  diversify  a  theme.  But, 
notwithstanding  the  testimony  of  Dance  Rustique  and  the  like.  Mason's  ruling 
affection  in  nmsic  is  in  the  domain  of  elevated  and  serious  sentiment,  of  which  the 
Berceuse  and  Reverie  are  his  best  outward  expressions.  In  a  pedagogic  point  of  view, 
these  compositions  have  a  remarkable  value.  They  are  almost  equal  to  Schumann's 
in  their  awakening  effect  upon  the  pupil's  intelligence,  while  as  studies  in  piano 
playing  they  lie  more  nearly  in  the  line  of  modern  pianoforte  virtuosity.  They 
always  conduce  to  an  elegant  and  refined  style  of  playing.  *  *  *  High  as  Mr. 
Mason  stands  as  a  performer  and  comjjoser,  yet  it  is  as  a  teacher  that  he  is  doing  his 
grandest  work  and  achieving  his  highest  success.  His  work  seems  to  stimulate  the 
minds  of  his  pupils  by  imparting  the  great  principles  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of 
all  success  ;  aud  we  cannot  close  this  sketch  more  appropriately  than  by  quoting  the 
words  of  one  of  his  pupils,  which  convey  the  highest  possible  compliment  from 
a  pupil  to  the  teacher:  'He  not  only  imparts  musical  knowledge  and  skill,  but 
he  gives  me  principles  of  action  ;  he  makes  my  life  better.'  ' 

643 


Tlie  following  is  a  list  of  the  pianoforte  compositions  of  William 
Mason  in  the  order  of  their  number: 

Deur  Romances  sans  Paroles.  B  flat,  E  flat.  Les  Perles  de  Rosee.  (Melodic 
variee. )  hnproinptn.  AmilLe  pour  Amilic.  Morceau  de  Salon.  The  same 
arranged  for  four  hands.  Valse de  JJiavoure.  Silver spr ins;.  Trois  Valses  de  Salon: 
1.  Rien  que  la  Valse;  2.  Toujon.s;  3.  Potir  la  Derniere  Sots.  Trois  Preludes.  E 
major,  B  major,  G  minor,  fctude  de  Concert.  Lullaby.  (Cradle  Song.)  Concert  Galop. 
Ballade  \\\  B  major.  Monody  K'a'?,  flat  major.  Polka  Cracieuse.  Barcarole  et  Ballade. 
Datise  Rustique  a  la  Gigue.  Valse  Caprice.  "  Billle-it"  (Polka.)  Deux  Reveries: 
J.  .'lu  Matin;  2.  An  Soir.  Springdazun.  Mazurka  Caprice.  Springflower.  Im- 
promptu. Caprice  Grotesque.  "  .\h  !  vous  dirais-je,  Maman."  Deux  Humoresques 
de  Bal:  i.  Polka  Caprice;  2.  ISTaziirka  Caprice.  Reverie  Poetique.  ".So-.Sb."  (Polka. ) 
Teacher  and  Pupil.  Eight  Duos  for  four  hands.  1.  Malbrook  ;  2.  Charming  Little 
Valley  ;  8.  Mary  Had  a  Little  Lamb;  4.  Life  Let  Us  Cherish  ;  5.  Sleep,  Baby,  Sleep; 
6.  Baby  Bye,  Here's  a  Fly;  7.  The  Honest  Old  Miller  ;  8.  Buy  a  Broom;  Valse, 
Freyschutz  ;  Air,  William  Tell ;  Polly  Hopkins.  Badinage.  Amusement  for  four 
hands.  Valse  Impromptu.  "Pell-Mell."  Galop  fantastique..  Prelude  in  A.  mmor. 
Two  Caprices.  1.  Scherzo ;  2.  Novellette.  Romance  Etude.  La  Sahotiere. 
Danse  aux  Sabots.  Berceuse.  Three  Characteristic  Sketches.  1.  Fantasy  ;  2.  Con- 
tentment;  3.  Whims.  Datice  Caprice.  Toccata.  Dance  Antique.  Serenata.  (For 
Pianoforte  and  Violoncello.)  The  same  transcribed  for  Pianoforte  Solo.  Melody. 
Scherzo.     Romance.     Idyl.     IMinuet. 

Pianoforte  Duos  for  four  hands:  March.  (Didactic);  /?^^orc'a,  also  for  teacher 
and  pupil. 

Methods  and  Exercises,  a.  A  Method  for  the  Pianoforte,  by  Wm.  Mason  and 
E.  S.  Hoadley.  b.  System  for  Beginners  in  the  Art  of  Playing  upon  the  Pianoforte, 
b)' Wm.  Mason  and  E.  S.  Hoadlev.  c.  Mason's  Pianoforte  Technics,  (.\ssociate 
editor,  W.  S.  B.  Mathews.!  d.  Touch  and  Technic,  or,  The  Technic  of  Artistic 
Touch. 

Charles  Callahan  Perkins. 
One  of  the  most  interestina:  of  American  careers,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
most  useful  and  honorable,  was  that  of  Charles  C.  Perkins,  who  was  born 
in  Pearl  street,  Boston,  March  i,  1823.  He  came  of  a  familj-  in  whom 
public  spirit  was  a  trait,  his  father  having  given  a  handsome  and  valuable 
propert J'  to  the  Boston  Athenaeum  in  ' '  consideration  of  the  importance  of 
the  diffusion  of  knowledge  to  the  liberty-  and  happiness  of  an}-  communit}-." 
Inheriting  ample  means,  ever)-  surrounding  of  his  j-outh  was  of  such 
nature  as  to  give  opportunity  to  a  bright  and  buoyant  nature  to  incline 
toward  the  sunlight  of  art.  He  graduated  at  Har\'ard  in  1843,  but  had 
long  before  been  educating  himself  in  aesthetic  pursuits,  in  which  he  had 
mapped  out  a  life  of  usefulness.  In  1843  he  went  abroad  to  Rome, 
where  he  undenvent  a  studious  course  in  painting.  In  1846  he  .settled 
in  Paris,  where  he  frequented  the  opera,  the  con.ser\-atoire  and  the  cham- 
ber concerts,  and  where  his  natural  love  for  and  interest  in  music  received 
a  quickening  in.spiration.  At  this  time  he  writes  home :  "  It  is  hard  we 
caiuiot  have  some  music  in  America  ;  but  such  an  evil,  I  hope,  can  be 
remedied  bj^  energy  and  perseverance."  He  soon  began  to  compose,  pro- 
ducing a  ntnnber  of  melodies  and  .some  serious  works,  some  of  which  were 
afterward  performed  at  a  public  concert  to  the  acceptance  of  the  Parisian 

musical  critics.  One  of  the  critics  warned  him  against  attempting  to  succeed 

644 


^^1<^    ^  ^^-^^f^^ 


64  s 


ill  music  as  well  as  in  painting,  and  to  choose  between  the  two.  In  1849  he 
returned  home,  and  though  not  abandoning  altogether  his  interest  in 
painting  and  sculpture,  he  for  the  next  ten  ^-ears  devoted  himself  to  music. 
"He  gathered  the  few  good  musicians  about  him,"  says  Dr.  vSamuel 
Eliot  in  his  memorial  volume,  "  and  with  their  aid  gave  frequent  cham- 
ber concerts  at  his  residence.  In  1850  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Handel  and  Hajdn  Society,  and  served  as  conductor  at  one  or  more 
of  the  public  performances  of  that  body.  He  appeared  in  the  same 
capacity  at  a  concert  of  his  own,  at  wiiich  some  of  his  compositions  were 
performed  and  much  applauded. "  In  1851  he  visited  German}'  and  became 
the  piano  pupil  of  the  celebrated  Moscheles  at  the  Leipzig  Conservator}', 
and  improved  to  their  utmost  the  admirable  musical  associations  with 
which  he  was  surrounded.  A  quartette  of  his  composition  was  sent  home 
and  brought  out  by  his  friends  of  the  Mendelssohn  Quartette  Club  in  the 
winter  of  1853.  D'a'ighV s  Journal  of  Music  describes  these  as  presenting 
themes  of  more  than  ordinary  tastefulness  and  originality.  Of  the  anda7ite, 
in  which  Perkins  greatly  excelled,  the  critic  of  that  journal  said  :  "The 
andante  movements  of  all  his  compositions  have  always  appeared  to  us  most 
successful.  They  bear  a  mark  of  their  own."  The  years  1854-56  he 
spent  at  home,  the  center  of  a  musical  circle,  both  public  and  private,  of 
constantly  widening  influence.  He  made  the  largest  subscription  to  the 
Boston  Music  Hall,  and  when  completed,  presented  to  it  a  bronze  statue 
of  Beethoven,  During  this  period  he  was  married  to  Miss  P'rances  Brueii, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Matthias  Bruen,  of  New  York,  by  whom  he  had  a 
family  of  three  children,  whom  he  had  the  happiness  of  seeing  all  grow 
to  honorable  and  useful  manhood  and  womanhood.  In  1S57  he  returned 
to  Europe,  remaining  twelve  Nears,  which  he  devoted  to  art,  more  partic- 
ularly to  that  of  sculpture.  In  1869  he  returned  home  permanently,  and 
was  Ijefore  the  public  for  over  twenty  years  as  an  art  writer  and  critic, 
whose  authorit}-  was  recognized  even  in  Europe.  In  1875  he  became,  for 
the  .second  time,  president  of  the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  and  held 
the  position  till  his  death,  taking  active  and  valuable  part  in  preparing 
and  carrying  out  the  public  performances  of  the  society.  One  of  his  latest 
literary  labors  was  a  histor>' of  this  organization,  which  he  left  unfinished. 
His  ser\'ices  to  education  and  other  arts  were  unexampled  in  their  gener- 
osity and  industry,  but  they  have  no  special  place  here.  In  1886,  while 
visiting  his  .son's  summer  home  at  Windsor,  \'t.,  he  was  unfortunately 
instantly  killed  by  a  runaway  while  driving.  His  death  was  a  loss  to 
science  and  art,  mourned  both  in  America  and  Europe,  some  of  the  most 
profound  expressions  of  .sorrow  coming  from  London  and  Paris. 

640 


Jajies  Austin  BrrTHRFiKLD. 

Mr.  Butterfield  is  a  native  of  the  old  hunting  county,  Hertfordshire, 
in  England.  He  was  born  May  i8,  1837.  His  early  life  is  an  instance 
of  a  certain  curious  inconsistency  on  the  part  of  many  parents  who  train 
a  child  in  certain  lines  of  thought,  and  when  the  boy  grows  up  and  followiJ 
those  lines  to  their  logical  conclusion,  condemn  the  results  of  their  teach- 
ing, not  blaming  their  own  short-sightedness,  but  finding  fault  with  the 
inherent  pig-headedness  of  youth  in  general.  The  father  made  a  tinj'  violin, 
about  eight  inches  long,  for  the  child,  and  taught  him  to  play.  At  the 
age  of  four  he  could  play  plain  psalmody  at  sight,  and  when  he  was  only 
six  years  old  he  played  the  violin  in  the  chapel  choir  beside  his  fatlier, 
who  played  the  'cello  in  the  little  orchestra.  Two  years  later  he  was 
pla\ing  the  violin  and  singing  alto  in  the  Harmonic  Society  of  the  town. 
It  was  a  precocious  development.  Just  about  this  time  we  find  him 
playing  the  first  violin  part  of  the  Hallelujah  Chorus  before  Stephen 
Glover,  who  was  much  struck  by  the  boy's  ability,  and  wanted  to  under- 
take his  education.  While  in  the  society  he  studied  Handel's,  Haydn's, 
Mendelssohn's  and  some  of  Neukomm's  oratorios,  besides  many  English 
works.  Under  Hullah's  sj-stem  of  voice  culture  his  voice  developed  into 
a  rich  alto,  and  repeated  efforts  were  made  to  get  him  as  a  choir  boy  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  but'  his  parents  would  not  consent.  Perhaps  Ten- 
niel's  cartoons,  which  came  out  about  this  time,  representing  "the  West- 
minister choir  boy,  meek  and  mild  "  (in  his  nice  little  white  surplice) 
and  "the  Westminster  choir  boy,  fierce  and  wild"  (out  of  his  surplice, 
with  hair  flying  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass,  taking  part  in  a  tre- 
mendous pitched  battle  in  the  abbey  close,  while  one  of  the  combatants  is 
following  Mr.  Jingle's  advice  and  nursing  a  damaged  eye  by  holding  it 
against  a  cold  lamp  post)  maj- have  had  something  to  do  with  the  decision. 

Young  Butterfield,  although  attending  diligently  at  school  all  the 
time,  had  so  mastered  Handel  that  he  was  able  to  sing  the  most  difficvilt 
solos  at  sight.  He  w'as  further  trained  by  Lady  Watson,  who  was  an  able 
vocalist  and  pianist.  When  his  voice  began  to  change  he  again  took  up 
the  violin,  and  was  elected  deputy  leader  of  the  Harmonic  Society.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  it  became  apparent  that  his  voice  would  be  a  tenor.  His 
musical  dreams  were  rudely  banished  by  his  parents  putting  him  to  a 
trade.  But  the  ambitious  young  spirit  could  see  something  shining  be- 
\  ond  the  dusty  ways  of  commerce,  and  he  resolved  to  take  a  short  cut  to 
it.  His  parents  would  not  allow  him  to  follow  music  as  a  profession 
(after  they  had  led  him  to  Pisgah,  would  not  let  him  descend  to  the  plains 
of  the  promised  land),  so  he  wandered  away  to  America  by  himself.  New 
England  did  not  welcome  him  warmly  (why  should  they  welcome  a  wau- 

647 


dering  boy  stranger  whether  he  be  an  angel  in  disguise  or  ndt?),  and 
Butterfield  came  to  Chicago.  He  was  now  nineteen.  He  taught  the 
viohn  and  singing  schools  in  the  country.  Not  without  success,  for  he 
made  money  enough  to  return  to  England,  and  induced  his  parents  to  sell 
out  and  come  to  Illinois.  For  a  while  young  Butterfield  was  in  Florida, 
conducting  the  Tampa  Musical  Academy  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 
Then  he  established  the  music  house  of  Butterfield  &  Co.  at  Indianapolis, 
where  he  issued  The  Musical  Visitor,  the  first  musical  journal  published 
in  Indiana.  In  1867  he  sold  out  his  business  and  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  remained  until  1880,  teaching  voice  culture  and  harmony,  and  hold- 
ing musical  conventions.  He  became  the  director  of  the  Centenary 
Methodist  Episcopal  choir  in  1868;  was  conductor  of  the  Chicago  Men- 
delssohn Society,  which  attended  the  great  peace  jubilee;  and  in  1S73,  at 
the  Chicago  jubilee  he  had  under  his  baton  1,028  voices  and  275  instru- 
ments. Finding  his  health  failing,  he  removed  in  1880  to  Norwich,  Conn., 
where  for  some  time  he  was  director  of  the  Norwich  School  of  Vocal  Art. 
He  received  the  degree  of  A.  C.  M.  in  1887  and  F.  C  M.  in  1888  from 
the  American  College  of  Musicians. 

Mr.  Butterfield  is  a  good  conductor,  has  a  critical  ear,  an  expressive 
beat,  and  the  abilit}^  to  pick  and  train  a  large  chorus  successfully.  He 
has  also  done  much  good  work  as  a  writer,  having  written  about  1 50 
songs  —  who  doesn't  know  Wlicn  You  and  I  zvcrc  Young,  Maggie?  — 
thirt}'  antliems  of  various  stj'les;  several  piano  compositions,  most  of 
which,  however,  are  unpublished;  man}-  unpublished  orchestral  pieces; 
The  Requisite,  a  book  for  conventions;  A  B  C  of  School  Singing,  fifty  two- 
songs,  and  The  Star  of  the' West,  for  schools;  a  comic  opera  in  two  acts, 
called  Paraphonia;  two  two-act  comedy  operas.  The  Race  for  a  Wife  and 
The  Widow  Glass;  and  two  dramatic  cantatas,  Ruth  the  Gleayier,  and 
Belshazzar,  each  in  five  acts.  The  latter  is  h\  far  the  best  known  of  his 
works.  It  is  a  .spectacular  cantata,  which  has  been  given  over  1,000 
times.  It  contains  some  stirring  choruses,  and  there  is  in  it  a  clever 
scenic  illusion,  the  handwriting  on  the  wall,  which  greatlj'  heightens  the 
effect  of  the  music.  Paraphonia  has  only  just  been  completed.  It  con- 
tains some  well  worked  climaxes,  especially  the  finale  to  Act  I;  a  prettj' 
madrigal,  with  fugue:  some  interesting  choruses  and  concerted  numbers, 
and  not  a  f^'w  popular  melodies.  Popular  in  style,  it  is,  as  a  whole,  an 
effort  of  decided  merit.  In  all  Mr.  Butterfield' s  operas  there  is  a  strong 
dramatic  coloring,  with  good  harmonic  structure.  The  ensembles  are  well 
worked,  and  the  melodies  and  orchestral  effects  pleasing  and  interesting. 
For  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years  Mr.  Butterfield  has  been  devoting  most 
of  his  attention  to  teaching  singing,  which  art  he  studied  with  Lampertj, 

64^ 


Shakespere,  of  London,  and  with  Mr.  Chas.  Lunn.  He  returned  to 
Chicaj^o  in  1888,  and  accepted  again  his  old  place  at  Centenary  Methodist 
Episcopal  church. 

Arthur  Foote. 

Among  tne  more  accomplished  of  the  younger  American  composers 
there  is  one  whose  success  has  in  it  this  farther  element  of  interest,  in 
the  fact  that  he  is  an  American  whose  talent  has  been  entirely  formed  in 
America,  and  by  American  teachers. 

Arthur  Foote  was  born  of  a  good  New  England  family  at  Salem, 
Mass.,  March  5,  1853.  He  pursued  the  usual  course  of  a  well  bred  New 
England  boy,  passing  successively  through  the  district  school,  academy, 
and  at  length  graduated  at  Harvard  in  1874.  He  had  already  made  con- 
siderable study  of  music,  both  upon  instruments  and  in  theory,  and  under 
the  competent  instruction  of  Mr.  Stephen  A.  Emery  had  made  consider- 
able progress  in  composition.  He  now  entered  seriously  upon  the  study 
of  music  with  the  intention  of  making  it  a  life-long  profession.  His 
teachers  were  Mr.  B.  J.  Lang  in  organ  and  pianoforte  playing,  and  Prof. 
J.  K.  Paine  in  composition.  In  1875,  after  examination,  he  received  from 
HaPk'ard  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  music.  Since  1876  he  has  been  engaged 
as  a  successful  teacher  of  the  pianoforte  in  Boston,  and  since  1878  has 
been  organist  of  the  First  Unitarian  church.  In  daily  work  as  an  inter- 
esting and  stimulating  instructor  in  art  Mr.  Foote  leads  an  honored 
life;  but  he  is  better  known  to  the  outside  world  by  his  compositions, 
which  indicate  talent  of  a  high  order.  The  range  of  them  and  the 
variety  are  alike  remarkable. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  Mr.  Foote' s  compositions:  For 
pianoforte  solo:  Impromptu  (G  minor);  Gavotte  (B  minor);  Mazurka 
(G  minor);  Op.  6,  consisting  of  five  pieces;  Prelude  and  Nocturne  (F 
minor  and  F  major);  Sarabande  (G  major);  Petite  Valse  (for  the  left 
hand);  Polonaise  (D  major),  and  Gavotte  in  C  minor  (Op.  8,  No.  i); 
Eclogue  (Op.  8,  No.  2);  Suite  in  D  minor  (Op.  15),  containing  Prelude  and 
Fugue,  Romance  and  Capriccio;  Sarabande  and  Courante  of  J.  S.  Bach 
(transcribed);  Two  Pianoforte  Pedal  Studies;  Etude  Album,  a  collection 
of  etudes,  selected  and  arranged  in  progressive  order;  and  Additions  to 
Bnttshardt  Method  of  Pianoforte  Technique. 

Songs  for  one  voice.  Go,  Lovely  Rose  !  JV/ten  Icicles  Hang  by  the 
Wall  (baritone);  //  Was  a  Lover  and  His  Lass ;  The  Pleasant  Summer's 
Come;  The  Milkmaid's  Sotig ;  Love's  Philosophy ;  Love  Took  Me  Softly 
by  the Ha?id {tenor);  My  Love's  Like  a  Red,  Red  Rose  ;  Lm  Wearing  Awa" 
to  the  Land  0'  the  Leal ;  Ho  !  Pretty  Page   with    Dimpled  Chin    (bari- 

650 


tone);  If  You  Become  a  Nun,  Dear  (baritone);  Ask  Me  No  More,  and 
Come,  Live  with  Me  (duet). 

Chamber  music:  Three  pieces  for  'cello  and  pianoforte;  trio  in  C 
major  (Op.  5),  for  violin,  'cello  and  pianoforte;  string  quartette  in  G 
minor  (Op.  4);  three  characteristic  pieces  for  violin  and  pianoforte,  Morn- 
i72g  Song,  Meniietto  Serioso  and  Romance;  for  chorus;  Te  Deum  in  B  flat 
minor;  Te  Deum  in  E  flat,  and  Jubilate  in  E  flat;  If  Doughty  Deeds 
My  Lady  Please  (for  male  voices) ;  The  Farewell  of  Hiawatha  (for  male 
chorus,  baritone  solo  and  orchestra) ;  Into  the  Silent  Land  (for  male  or 
female  voices). 

Orchestral  music:  The  Wreck  of  the  Hesperus  (for  mixed  chorus, 
soli  and  orchestra;  Suite  for  string  orchestra  in  E  major  (Op.  12),  and 
overtui-e.  In  the  Mountaijts  (Op.  14). 

This  last-named  overture  has  been  played  at  the  Boston  symphony- 
concerts;  the  London  symphony  concerts,  under  Mr.  Henschel's  direction; 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association  at  Chicago, 
1888;  by  Mr.  Thomas  in  New  York  and  Chicago;  at  the  Worcester 
festival,  1888;  and  also  at  Van  der  Stucken's  concert  at  Paris  in  July, 
1888.  Of  the  other  pieces  the  trio  in  C  major  (Op.  5)  has  been  played  at 
Cincinnati,  Detroit,  Buffalo,  Chicago,  the  Saturday  popular  concerts  in 
London,  at  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association  meeting  at  Boston, 
besides  about  a  dozen  times  in  Boston  and  other  towns  in  New  England. 
The  string  quartette  (Op.  4)  has  been  played  at  the  Euterpe  concerts  at 
Boston  and  at  Detroit,  San  Francisco,  etc.  If  Doughty  Deeds  My  Lady 
Please,  and  The  Farewell  of  Hiaivatha  were  written  for  the  Apollo  Club, 
Boston,  and  the  latter  has  also  been  performed  at  Brooklyn  and  San 
Francisco.  Into  the  Silent  La^id  was  written  for  the  250th  anniversary  of 
Harvard  College,  while  The  Wreck  of  the  Hesperus  was  written  for  the 
Cecilia  Club,  of  Bo.ston. 

The  quality  of  the  pieces  already  issued,  and  the  comparative  youth 
of  the  composer,  give  promise  of  many  more  and  probably  still  better 
works  to  follow.  His  music  is  poetic  in  style,  smoothly  written  and 
pleasing. 

Walter  Petzet. 

Mr.  Petzet  was  born  at  Breslau,  Germanj',  Oct.  10,  1866.  In 
1876  his  parents  removed  to  Augsburg,  where  he  began  his  musical 
studies,  studying  harmonj'  with  Arnokleffel,  counterpoint  with  Rhein- 
berger  and  score  reading  with  Prof  Abel.  He  also  studied  at  the  Royal 
Music  School,  of  Munich,  graduating  with  honor  in  1886.  Subsequently 
he  went  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  in  order  to  place  himself  under  the 

651 


piano  instruction  of  Hans  Von  Bulow.  In  1887  he  came  to  America, 
accepting  a  position  as  teacher  of  piano,  composition  and  theory  at  the 
Northwestern  Conservatory  of  Music,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  he  has 
remained  ever  since.  He  began  his  career  as  a  composer  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  and  lias  since  that  time  produced  numerous  works,  pubHshed  in 
Germany  and  in  this  countr\-.  Among  them  are:  Op.  i,  seven  songs; 
Op.  2,  four  piano  pieces;  Op.  3,  six  songs,  one  symphony,  one  trio,  two 
overtures,  two  rhapsodies,  and  also  choruses,  songs,  etc.  His  first  com- 
position, seven  songs,  were  published  at  Vienna,  and  were  sung  by  Frk. 
Herzog,  royal  court  singer,  at  Berlin.  He  has  also  composed  a  trio, 
which  was  played  at  the  meeting  of  the  N.  M.  T.  A.,  in  Chicago  in  1888, 
and  met  with  great  success.  As  a  performer  he  has  appeared  before 
highly  appreciative  audiences  in  Xew  York,  Boston,  Pittsburgh  and 
Chicago,  and  has  in  each  instance  sustained  his  reputation  as  an  artist  of 
merit  and  ability-.  His  career  at  the  Minneapolis  conservatory  proves 
him  to  be  a  musician  and  teacher  from  whom  much  maj'  be  expected  in 
the  future. 

Frederick  Braxdeis 

Was  born  in  Vienna,  Juh-  5,  1835,  and  studied  the  piano  with  Ehrlich. 
Fischof  and  Czerny.  The  latter  wai  well  satisfied  with  the  work  of  his 
young  pupil,  but  one  day  in  1848,  when  Brandeis  appeared  before  him 
arrayed  in  all  the  glor\-  of  tha  revolutio;iar\'  uniform,  the  old  man, 
who  was  a  stanch  adherent  of  the  imperial  house,  turned  him  out  of  his 
house  with  all  speed.  That  revolution  cost  Mr.  Brandeis'  father  his  for- 
tune, so  he  had  to  give  up  his  studies  on  the  piano  with  Pynkhert,  and 
in  composition  with  Rufinatscha,  and  come  to  America  with  the  familj-, 
In  Jul}',  1848,  the}-  landed  in  Xew  York,  where  young  Brandeis  made  his 
appearance  as  solo  pianist  and  accompanist.  After  roaming  through  the 
country  with  various  concert  comj^anies  (among  others,  Wm.  Vincent 
Wallace's),  and  living  for  a  year  and  a  half  in  the  west,  he  settled  in  New 
York  and  devoted  himself  to  composition  and  tuition.  He  is  still  engaged 
in  the  same  work,  and  is  much  esteemed  in  both  capacities.  He  is  also  the 
organist  of  Sts.  Peter  and  Paul's  Roman  Catholic  church,  Brooklyn,  and  of 
the  Forty-fourth  Street  synagogue.  New  York. 

Mr.  Brandeis  has  written  a  considerable  number  of  piano  compo- 
sitions and  songs.  Among  his  principal  works  are  the  following: 
Instrumental — Waltz,  poem  dedicated  to  and  played  by  S.  B.  Mills; 
polonaise  in  C,  dedicated  to  Joachim  Raff,  and  acknowledged  by  him  in 
a  ver>'  complimentary  letter;  Toccata  in  C;  gavotte  in  A  minor,  much 
played  by  Mme.  Rive-King,  and  also  played  by  Thomas'  orchestra  under 


42      FRED'K  BRANDEIS. 


653 


S.    ARRII,I,AGA. 


the  name  of  Danse  Hcroiqtie  ;  Andante  Elegiaco  ;  Tarantelle  Caprice,  and 
transcription  of  Toreador  Song.  Vocal — My  Love  is  Like  the  Red,  Red 
Rose,  quartette;  anacreontic  drinking  song,  Observe  When  Mother  Earth, 
for  bass  ;  madrigal,  Echoes;  ballades,  The  Ring  and  The  Sunken  Cloister, 
for  soli,  chorus  and  orchestra;  and  a  festival  Tantum  Ei-go,  for  soli,  chorus 
and  organ.      Mr.  Brandeis  has  al.so  several  works  in  preparation. 

Edgar  S.  Kellev. 

This  talented  young  composer  and  litterateur  was  born  in  Sparta, 
Wis.,  April  14,  1857.  He  belongs  to  an  old  family  which  came  to  this 
country  in  1635.  His  musicial  temperament  was  his  mother's  heritage, 
while  his  dramatic  taste  was  due  to  his  father's  influence.  At  eight  years 
old  he  began  studying  the  piano  with  his  mother,  afterward  taking  les- 
sons of  Mr.  F.  W.  Merrian,  now  of  Minneapolis.  From  1874-76  he  was 
learning  theorj-  from  Mr.  Clarence  Eddy,  and  then  went  to  Stuttgart  Con- 
serv'atorj',  where  his  teachers  were  \Vm.  Kruger  and  Wm.  Speidel.  Mr. 
Kelley  speaks  sometimes  of  the  methods  employed  there  at  that  time  in 
terms  more  unfavorable  than  polite,  and  says  that  tlirough  them  he  lost 
all  ambition  for  piano  playing.  His  organ  teacher  was  Frederick  Finck. 
Fortunately  for  the  musical  world  Kelley  afterward  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Max  Seifrig,  the  friend  of  Wagner  and  Berlioz,  a  gifted  musician  and  an 
excellent  teacher,  from  whom  he  learned  much.  In  1880  he  returned  to 
America  and  settled  in  San  Francisco 

His  first  orchestral  work.  The  Dcjeat  of  Macbeth,  was  produced  in 
Januarj',  1882,  and  the  following  year  Theodore  Thomas  played  the 
overture  at  his  concerts.  The  entire  music  was  brought  out  at  a  concert 
in  San  Francisco  on  Feb.  12,  1885.  In  the  winter  of  the  same  year  it 
was  also  produced  in  connection  with  a  magnificent  setting  of  the  play, 
and  ran  for  three  weeks,  the  longest  run  of  that  play,  or  of  a  serious  musi- 
cal work,  up  to  that  time.  It  was  an  unqualified  success  and  the  com- 
poser was  persuaded  to  come  east  to  produce  some  of  the  music  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  He  came,  he  saw, 
— and  had  his  scores  stolen  !  July  2,  1886.  Mr.  Kelley  then  went  to  New 
York,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In  July,  1887  (Jul}'  seems  to  have  been 
an  unlucky  month  with  Mr.  Kelley)  he  lost  all  his  MSS.  in  the  fire  which 
destroyed  the  Metropolitan  warehouse  in  New  York.  Fortunately  copies 
of  many  of  these  were  in  the  pos.session  of  friends.  They  were  collected 
and  others  rewritten  until  about  twenty  were  at  length  replaced,  and  they 
were  performed  at  a  musicale  given  by  Mrs.  Havemeyer  in  New  York 
Oct.  28,  1887. 

Mr.   Kelley 's  principal  works  are  as  follows  :     Three  pieces  for  the 

m 

654 


pianoforte  (Op.  2),  No.  i  ;  The  Flower  Seeker,  No.  2  ;  ConJJucntia,  No.  3; 
The  ] leadlcss  Horseman  ;  grand  polonaise  (Op.  3);  six  four-hand  pieces 
for  the  pianoforte  (Op.  5);  original  theme  with  variations  for  string  quar- 
tette (Op.  i);  Phases  of  Love  (Op.  6);  six  lyrics  for  voice  and  pianoforte, 
words  by  American  authors  (including  The  Lady  Picking  Mulberries  ; 
Nuptial  Ode  for  tenor  solo,  male  chorus  and  orchestra  (Op.  4),  composed 
for  the  wedding  of  Mr.  John  Parrott,  the  leading  patron  of  music  in  San 
Francisco  ;  music  to  Shakespeare's  vl/ar/^c///,  consisting  of  overture,  various 
melodramas,  entr'acte  music,  chorus  of  spirits,  Royal  Gaelic  March,  and 
The  Defeat  of  Macbeth  (Op.  7);  and  a  comic  opera  in  two  acts,  the  text  by 
A.  C.  Gunther.  In  addition  to  the  above  Mr.  Kelle}-  has  in  preparation  a 
large  number  of  sketches  of  songs,  orchestral  pieces,  operas  and  another 
melodramatic  accompanient  to  a  play.  Besides  the  high  reputation  which 
Mr.  Kelley  has  won  as  a  composer,  he  is  a  frequent  and  welcome  con- 
tributor to  the  musical  journals  and  magazines,  and  is  also  a  pianist  of  no 
little  merit. 

Stephen  Albert  Emery. 

Man}'  of  the  younger  American  composers  have  been  indebted  to  Mr. 
S.  A.  Emery  for  their  instruction  in  the  art  of  composition,  and  he  stands 
in  the  front  rank  of  American  theorists.  Mr.  Emerj'  was  bom  at  Paris, 
Oxford  Co.,  Me.,  Oct.  4,  1841.  His  father,  Hon.  Stephen  Emer}^  was 
a  distinguished  lawyer  and  judge,  and  a  man  of  remarkably  fine  mind. 
Young  Emery  early  manifested  a  strong  love  for  music,  and  he  even  com- 
posed some  little  pieces  before  he  was  able  to  read  notes,  an  elder  sister 
showing  him  how  to  write  them.  After  a  common  school  education  he 
entered  upon  a  collegiate  course  at  Colby  University  in  the  fall  of  1859, 
but  owing  to  ill-health  and  impaired  sight,  he  was  compelled  to  leave 
after  the  freshman  year.  He,  then  as  a  pastime,  took  up  the  study  of  the 
piano  and  harmony,  his  teacher  being  Henrj^  L.  Edwards,  of  Portland,  Me. 
Acting  upon  the  advice  of  his  teacher,  he  went  to  Leipzig  in  1862,  and 
there  for  two  years  he  studied  with  Richter,  Papperitz,  Plaidy  and  Haupt- 
mann.  After  a  short  additional  time  in  Dresden  he  returned  to  the  United 
States,  remaining  in  Portland  until  the  great  fire  there  in  1866,  when  he 
removed  to  Boston.  He  was  engaged  as  teacher  of  the  piano  and  harmony 
at  the  opening  of  the  New  England  Conservator}'  of  Music,  in  1867,  and 
was  afterwards  appointed  professor  of  harmony,  theory  and  composition 
in  the  Boston  University  College  of  Music.  Mr.  Emery  has  written  many 
piano  pieces  and  songs.  His  Fou7idation  Studies  in  Pianoforte  Playing, 
Op.  35  (written  for  his  own  children),  is  a  remarkabl}'  simple  and  easy 
course  for  beginners,  while  his  Eletncnts  of  Hartnony  is  used  throughout 

65*; 


^^'■^s 


p. 


^^^^^i:^ 


657 


the  country.     His  lectures  and  editorial  contributions  to  the  Musical  Her- 
ald have  exercised  a  decided  influence  in  elevating  the  standard  of  musical 
aste. 

Mr.  Emery  has  a  national  reputation  as  a  lecturer  upon  musical  sub- 
jects, a  contributor  to  musical  papers,  a  composer,  a  teacher  of  harmony, 
counterpoint  and  piano.  As  a  composer  he  has  written  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty  published  pieces,  all  of  which  are  musicianly,  and  many  of  which 
have  enjoyed  a  large  share  of  popular  favor. 

William  F.  Sudds 
Was  born  m  London,  England,  March  5,  1843.  ^^  '^^'^^  seven  j-ears  old 
when  his  parents  came  to  the  United  States  and  took  a  farm  near  Gouver- 
neur,  N.  Y.  He  was  of  a  musical  disposition,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen  he 
could  play  the  violin,  guitar,  flute,  cornet  and  violoncello.  Afterward, 
through  the  kindness  of  a  friend,  he  was  able  to  get  some  piano  practice. 
His  first  music  lessons  were  given  him  by  a  French  professor  while  he 
was  a  convalescent  soldier  at  the  hospital,  New  Orleans,  in  1864.  He 
entered  the  Boston  Conser\'atory  of  Music  in  1873,  studying  the  organ 
under  Eugene  Thayer,  and  the  violin  and  composition  under  Julius  Eich- 
berg.  Mr.  Sudds  is  still  living  at  Gouverneur,  where  he  has  a  fine  music 
store.  As  a  business  man  he  is  enterprising,  energetic  and  successful. 
As  a  composer  and  author  he  has  done  a  great  amount  of  work.  He  has 
published  books  of  instruction  for  piano  and  reed  organ,  organ  gems,  organ 
voluntaries  and  Modern  Libiaiy  for  violin  and  piano,  and  for  flute  and 
piano.  His  musical  works  comprise  nine  ser\'ices,  thirteen  anthems,  six- 
teen sacred  duets,  ten  sacred  trios,  eight  secular  quartettes,  and  several 
songs  and  duets.  He  has  also  written  for  the  piano  a  bouree,  gavotte, 
march,  and  three  sonatinas  and  seven  orchestral  pieces,  including  three 
overtures,  barcarolle,  waltz  and  march.  In  addition  to  these,  Mr.  Sudds 
is  the  composer  of  some  three  hundred  miscellaneous  pieces  and  of  con- 
siderable music  for  the  Catholic  church.  T/ie  S2vi7ig  (Op.  156)  was 
written  for  the  New  York  Philharmonic  Club,  and  was  given  its  first 
public  performance  at  one  of  their  New  York  city  concerts  in  March, 
1888. 

Adolph  M.  Foerster. 
This  well  known  composer  was  born  Feb.  2,  1854,  at  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
He  got  his  first  instruction  in  music  from  his  mother,  who  was  an  amateur 
pianist  of  considerable  ability.  He  also  inherited  some  musical  instinct 
from  his  father,  who  is  a  well  known  artist.  Jean  Manns  undertook  the 
lad's  instruction  after  he  had  passed  from  his  mother's  hands,  and  in  1872 
he  entered  the  Conservator>'  of  Music  at  Leipzig,  where  he  studied  under 

65S 


V. 

'f^^K/f^m 

■if 

m^ 

P^ 

S.  B.  Mills. 


659 


Grill  and  Schimon  for  vocal  music,  Coccius  and  Wenzel  for  piano,  and  E. 
F.  Richter  and  Dr.  Papperitz  for  theory.  After  his  return  to  this  country 
he  was  for  one  year  teacher  at  the  Conservatory  of  Music  at  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  and  then  returned  to  his  native  city,  where  he  still  lives.  He  was 
director  of  the  Symphonic  (orchestral)  vSociety  and  of  the  Musical  Union 
(choral),  but  he  now  lives  a  quiet,  retired  life,  devoting  all  his  attention 
to  composition.  The  followng  is  a  complete  list  of  his  compositions : 
For  the  voice:  Three  songs  (Op.  i);  The  Fairy  Boat,  solos  and  chorus 
(Op.  4);  six  songs  (Op.  6);  three  songs  (Op.  12);  two  part  songs,  male 
voices  (Op.  19);  two  part  songs,  female  voices  (Op.  20);  Bedouin' s  Prayer, 
male  chorus  (Op.  22);  Jtine  Song,  mixed  voices;  two  songs,  (Op.  25); 
Serenade  and.  Slumber  Song;  for  the  piano;  andante  (Op.  2);  valse  ca- 
price (Op.  5);  nocturne  (Op.  7);  two  compositions  (Op.  11);  sonnet  (Op. 
13);  three  sonatinas  (Op.  14);  two  sonatinas  (Op.  16);  two  sonatinas 
(Op.  18).  Chamber  music:  fantasia,  violin  and  piano  (Op.  15);  romanza, 
violin  and  piano  (Op.  17);  quartette,  piano  and  strings  (Op.  21);  Album 
Leaf,  'cello  and  piano  (Op.  24);  novelette  melodie,  violin  and  piano,  (Op. 
26);  and  improvisation  on  Kirchner's^/(^«;«  Leaf,  in  F  major;  also  Thus" 
nelda  for  orchestra.  This  latter  has  been  given  under  Asger  Hamerik, 
Theodore  Thomas,  Carl  Schroder,  and  under  the  composer's  direction  at 
Boston,  in  1886.  The  seven  sonatinas  are  about  the  most  popular  of  his 
piano  compositions,  and  of  the  chamber  music  the  romanza  (Op.  17)  is  the 
best  known.     His  songs  and  part  songs  have  alwaj-s  been  well  received. 

Sebastian  Bach  Mills, 

The  celebrated  pianist  was  born  March  13,  1838,  at  Cirencester,  Gloucester, 
count}^  Eng.,  where  his  father  was  organist  and  a  great  admirer  of  Bach. 
After  receiving  his  early  lessons  from  his  parents,  he  was  placed  under  the 
instruction  of  the  distinguished  masters,  Cj'priani  Potter  and  Sterndale 
Bennett.  After  studying  some  time  at  the  Royal  Academy,  London,  he 
went  to  Leipzig,  where  he  distinguished  himself  hy  his  unflagging  indus- 
try, as  well  as  talent  of  an  unusual  order.  Long  before  this  he  had 
traveled  through  the  British  provinces  with  JuUien's  orchestra,  plaj'ing 
Mendelssohn's  concerto  in  G  minor.  At  Leipzig  he  had  the  reputation  of 
having  given  one  of  the  best  performances  of  the  concerto  in  A  minor  of 
Schumann  that  had  ever  been  heard  there.  Directly  after  graduating,  he 
came  to  America,  landing  in  New  York  in  February,  1859,  with  few  other 
earthly  possessions  than  the  clothes  he  had  on,  his  talents  and  a  letter 
to  the  Steinways.  His  playing  was  sufficient  recommendation,  for  it  was 
better  than  had  been  heard  here  up  to  that  time,  saving  possibly  that  of 
Thalberg.     In  the  month  of  his  arrival  he  appeared  at  a  philharmonic 

660 


f 


^ '^C^^^V^wv^/^.CU. 


66 1 


concert  in  the  Schumann  concerto,  gaining  great  applause,  at  once  estab- 
lishing himself  at  the  very  head  of  the  piano  placing  profession  in  the 
country  of  his  adoption,  a  rank  from  which  he  has  scarcely  been  deposed 
in  thirty  years.  His  success  as  teacher  was  equally  satisfactory',  his  hours 
being  all  taken  at  high  prices.  The  new  country  did  so  well  for  him  that 
in  less  than  a  year  after  his  arriv'al  he  was  able  to  write  back  to  Leipzig 
to  a  certain  lady  there,  and  particularh'  to  her  charming  daughter,  both 
of  whom  soon  landed  in  New  York,  and  the  promising  j-oung  master  took 
a  wife  who  has  been  a  steadfast  helpmeet  to  him  in  the  good  German 
fashion. 

As  a  composer  Mr.  Mills  is  known  to  every  stuaent  of  the  piano,  his 
compositions  numbering  verj^  many  popular  pieces.  As  they  are  all  well 
written  for  the  instrument,  thej'  not  only  make  a  good  effect  when  well 
played,  but  are  extremely  valuable  for  purposes  of  instruction.  Among 
the  many  brilliant  pianists  who  have  received  an  influential  part  of  their 
instruction  from  Mr.  Mills,  Mme.  Rive-King  is  perhaps  the  greatest,  but 
there  are  hundreds  of  brilliant  players  in  all  parts  of  the  country  who  have 
received  their  inspiration  from  this  careful  and  energetic  artist.  In  late 
years  Mr.  Mills  has  rarely  been  heard  in  the  concert  room  far  away  from 
New  York,  but  twenty  j-ears  ago  he  had  a  national  reputation  as  perform- 
ing artist,  and  his  figure  was  a  familiar  one  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

WiLSOx  G.  Smith. 

One  of  the  most  talented  and  promising  of  the  younger  American 
composers  and  pianists  of  the  present  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Mr. 
Wilson  G.  Smith,  who  has  for  some  time  been  identified  with  music  in 
Cleveland,  but  whose  compositions  are  known  and  favorabh-  regarded 
throughout  the  country.  Mr.  Smith  was  born  at  Elyria,  O.  Poor  health 
interfered  with  the  collegiate  education  that  his  parents  expected  to  give 
him  and  his  musical  predilections  found  but  little  encouragement  at  home. 
Nevertheless  his  musical  education  progressed  commensurately  with  his 
general  development  intellectually,  and  finally  he  prevailed  upon  his 
parents  to  allow  him  to  go  to  Cincinnati  to  study  music.  Here  he  so 
impressed  his  teacher.  Otto  Singer,  as  well  as  others  who  heard  him,  that 
he  was  stronglj-  advised  to  stud}-  abroad.  In  1880  he  left  for  Berlin, 
where  he  studied  piano  and  composition  over  two  >ears  under  the  best 
German  masters,  Kiel,  Moszkowski,  Scharwenka  and  others,  who  took 
special  interest  in  him,  and  gave  him  flattering  certificates.  Ever  since 
his  return  to  Cleveland,  where  he  is  residing,  his  time  has  been  occupied 
in  teaching  and  composing,  and  he  has  made  a  decided  success  of  both. 

662 


ii^fc-ln^^^ 


/^.  ^<^ 


His  lessons — vocal  and  piano  —  are  sought  by  artists.  His  productions 
are  performed  e\-ery\vhere,  and  by  such  pianists  as  Wm.  H.  Sherwood, 
Calixa  Lavallee,  Mme.  Rive-King,  Mme.  Fannie  Bloomfield,  Mrs.  Clara 
E.  Thorns,  Miss  Neally  Stevens,  Mme.  Dory  Burmeister  Petersen,  Con- 
stantin  Sternberg,  Emil  Liebling,  etc.,  and  by  such  vocalists  as  Miss  Zelie 
de  Lussan,  Miss  Effie  Stewart,  Miss  Dora  Henninges,  Miss  Grace  Hiltz, 
Dr.  Carl  Martin,  Mr.  Chas.  Knorr,  etc. 

As  a  composer  he  is  one  of  the  few  who  possess  a  genuine  gift  for  the 
invention  of  melody,  and  who  are  also  invariably  musicianl}^  in  whatso- 
ev^er  they  may  indite.  His  compositions  combine  the  artistic  and  the 
popular  without  ever  descending  to  triviality.  In  1888-89  ^'^^-  Smith 
was  president  of  the  Ohio  Music  Teachers'  Association,  and  the  meeting 
held  under  his  regime  was  one  of  the  most  successful  in  the  history  of  the 
association.  During  the  present  year  (1889)  Mr.  Smith,  with  Calixa 
Lavallee  and  Dr.  Ziegfeld,  comprise  the  programme  committee  of  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  Mr.  Smith  has  also  appeared 
before  the  State  and  the  National  Associations  as  an  essaj-ist,  in  which 
field  he  has  been  notably  successful.  His  article  upon  the  subject  ot 
'  'American  Compdsers ' '  has  been  copied  far  and  near.  Mr.  Smith  has  pub- 
lished over  a  hundred  compositions,  vocal  and  instrumental,  and  it  is  a 
striking  fact  that  not  only  are  his  works  played  and  sung  by  leading 
artists  everywhere,  but  his  name  as  a  composer  is  also  to  be  found  upon 
the  programmes  of  the  various  state  music  associations,  as  well  as  the 
Music  Teachers'  National  Association.  Mr.  Smith  has  had  a  brilliant 
career  which  is  as  yet  in  its  early  stages,  and  still  greater  fame  yet  awaits 
him  in  the  vocation  he  has  chosen. 

JoHANN  H.  Beck. 

This  gentleman,  who  ranks  high  among  those  who  have  compelled 
honor  and  recognition  to  American  talent  in  the  world  of  music,  was  born 
of  German  parentage,  in  the  city  of  Cleveland,  state  of  Ohio.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  music  while  young,  devoting  his  attention  particularly 
to  the  violin,  and  though  without  regular  instruction  managed  to  make 
considerable  progress.  He  had  sufficient  natural  artistic  instinct,  however, 
to  recognize  that  he  could  not  hope  to  attain  his  musical  ambition  upon 
his  own  unguided  efforts,  and  accordingly  in  October,  1879,  he  repaired  to 
the  Leipzig  Conservatorium,  where  he  pursued  a  conscientious  and  indus- 
trious course  of  .study  under  the  best  masters.  May  17,  1882,  he  had  the 
honor  of  appearing  as  a  compo.ser  in  the  Gewandhaus,  performing  his  own 
Siring-  Quartette  in  C  minor,  receiving,  as  the  professors  of  the  conservatory 
testify,  ' '  much  and  well  deserved  applause. ' '  Of  this  quartette  the  Leipziger 

664 


Tagcblait  said:  "  B}^  the  originalit}'  of  its  themes,  and  striking  success  in 
factor  and  motive  work,  the  quartette  by  Mr.  Beck  was  distinguished.  To 
the  natural  and  unconstrained  flow  of  the  different  parts  must  be  added  the 
many  noteworthy  features  of  the  instrumentation.  Special  mention  is  due 
the  characteristic,  condensed  and  fragic  theme  of  the  first  allegro ;  likewise 
the  rhythmically  interesting  and  lusty  .scherzo."  In  his  diploma,  the 
Leipzig  professors  say:  "  In  theory  Mr.  Beck  possesses  highly  advanced 
knowledge;  in  practical  composition  a gettuine gift  and  a  persevering,  con- 
scientious striving  toward  a  noble  ideal,  as  he  has  proved  bj^  some  very 
commendable  work."  After  his  return  to  America,  Mr.  Beck  produced 
several  of  Lis  works  at  the  annual  concerts  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National 
Association.  In  1886  his  overture  to  Byron's  Zar«  ,•  in  1887,  a  sextette 
for  strings,  of  which  Mr.  Krehbiel  said  in  the  New  York  Tribune  :  ' '  We 
doubt  whether  there  is  another  composer  in  this  country  who  could  match 
the  slow  movement  of  this  sextette."  Mr.  Beck  is  carrying  on  a  violin 
school  at  Cleveland,  O.,  and  there  is  reason  to  expect  still  greater  com- 
positions from  him  in  the  future.  The  complete  list  of  his  works  which 
have  been  performed  in  public  follows:  Cantata,  Bayard  Taylor's 
Deukalion,  for  chorus,  soloists  and  orchestra;  overture  to  Byron's  Lara, 
overture  to  Shakespeare's  Romeo  and  Juliet,  German  songs,  Bitte,  Der 
sclnvere  AbeJid,  Mondnacht,  Mceresabetid,  Ich  will's  Dir  ninimcr  sagcn, 
Elegiac  Song,  The  Sea  at  Evening,  Bedouin  Love  Song,  May  Song,  for 
voice,  'cello  and  piano,  Spanish  Dance,  Philosophien  Studien,  concerto  for 
violin;  chamber  music,  quartette  in  C  minor,  sextette  in  D  minor,  Moor- 
ish Serenade,  for  tenor  and  orchestra. 

Adolph  Koelling. 

This  accomplished  artist,  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  department  of 
composition  in  Chicago  Musical  College,  acquired  his  musical  instinct 
by  inheritance,  his  father  having  been  a  prominent  orchestra  plaj-er  at 
Hamburg,  Germany,  where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  Feb.  9, 
1840.  He  began  his  art  study  at  the  age  of  eight,  under  his  elder  brother, 
Karl,  who  had  already  gained  a  high  reputation  as  composer  of  pianoforte 
salon  music.  Two  j^ears  later  he  began  study  with  Degenhardt,  organist  of 
St.  Catharine's  church,  Hamburg,  and  in  1856  commenced  a  course  of 
study  in  theory  and  composition  with  Edward  Momen,  the  instructor  of 
Johannes  Brahms.  A  year  later  he  entered  the  field  of  composition,  with 
the  production  of  pianoforte  variations,  which,  as  performed  by  himself, 
elicited  high  praise.  After  studying  counterpoint  and  fugue  under 
Graedener,  he  went  to  London  to  teach,  meeting  with  good  success, 
but  was  soon    obliged  by   family   affairs  to  return  to   Hamburg,    where 

666 


Reginald  be  Koven. 


667 


he  now  studied  instrumentation  under  A.  F.  Riccius,  and  devoted  himself 
assiduously  to  the  pianoforte.  In  1867  he  had  the  gratification  of  seeing 
his  pianoforte  quartette  (Op.  i)  performed  bj-  four  leading  musicians 
of  Germany,  on  which  occasion  his  production  was  highly  commended 
bj'  Brahms.  This  was  subsequently  published  by  Fritz  vSchuberth,  and  has 
become  a  popular  piece  dc  resistance  in  the  repertoire  of  the  quartette 
societies.  His  second  important  work  was  a  sonata  for  pianoforte  and 
violin,  published  b}-  Pohle,  which  has  been  favorabl}^  criticised  by  David 
and  other  eminent  critics.  He  has  also  written  three  charming  minor 
pieces,  a  Walzer  Caprice^  Albutnblattchen  and  Polonaise  Caprice  for  piano- 
forte, published  by  Schuberth.  In  1872  Mr.  Koelling  accepted  a  call  to 
Cottage  Hill  Seminary,  Poughkeepsie,  and  afterwards  entered  upon  a 
larger  sphere  of  usefulness  in  connection  with  the  excellent  institution  in 
which  he  is  now  engaged. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  his  compositions:  For  piano  — 
scherzo  in  F  sharp  minor;  sonata  in  C  minor;  sonata  in  C  major;  six 
scherzos;  six  variations  in  G  major  on  the  Russian  National  Hyimi;  ten 
variations  in  A  flat  major;  six  characteristic  pieces  —  Barcarolle,  Gavotte; 
Galop  Caprice,  Valse  Impromptu,  Screnata  and  Valse  Gracieuse;  Pensie  Fugi- 
tive; fantasie  in  F  minor;  impromptu  in  B  major;  Dezixihtie  Valse  Gracieuse- 
fantasie  polonaise  in  E  major;  three  exercises  in  octaves;  Valse  des  Da- 
7iaidcs  (two  or  four  hands);  and  three  claviersti'icke,  (a)  Album  Blaettchen, 
(b)  Polonaise  Caprice,  (c)  Valse  Caprice.  For  piano  and  string  —  Quartette 
in  C  minor  for  piano,  violin,  viola  and  'cello;  trio  in  E  major  for  viohn, 
'cello  and  piano;  sonata  in  D  and  sonata  in  B  for  piano  and  violin;  two 
romanzas  for  violin  and  piano,  and  three  pieces  for  'cello  and  piano.  For 
string  only  —  quartette  in  F  major;  quartette  in  C  minor;  quartette  in  B 
major;  gavotte  for  string  orchestra.  Songs — Found  {Q,o^'Ca.€);  The  Beauti- 
ful Maiden;  song  for  soprano  in  E  major;  two  sacred  airs —  To  Thee,  my 
God  and  Saviour  (dilto),  and  My  Blessed  Saviour  (alto  and  tenor).  For 
voice  and  organ  —  hymn  anthem;  Deus  misereatur  in  G;  festival  Te 
Detim;  mass  in  D  minor,  and  sacred  air  for  bass,  We  Praise  Thee,  O  God, 
He  has  also  written  twent^'-five  songs  for  male  voices  and  six  songs  for 
mixed  voices,  without  accompaniment. 

Reginald  de  Koven. 

Though  Mr.   Reginald  de  Koven  is  barely  thirty  years  old,   he  has 

accomplished  a  great  deal  of  good  work  for  a  young  musician.     He  was 

born  at  Middletown,  Conn.,   in    1859  at  the  old  family  homestead.     His 

father  was  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  and  some  of  his  ancestors  figured 

gallantly  in  the  American  revolution.     Reginald  never  attended  a  public 

66S 


school.  His  father  gave  him  his  early  education.  He  taught  the  lad 
French,  German,  Italian  and  the  dead  languages.  At  the  age  of  eleven 
his  parents  took  him  to  Europe,  and  he  remained  there  about  twelve 
years.  He  was  educated  at  St.  John's  College,  Oxford,  taking  his  degree 
with  honors  in  1879.  His  mental  training  at  Oxford  was  chiefly  in  the 
line  of  history  and  belles  Icttres.  Previous  to  taking  his  degree  he  had 
studied  piano  playing  at  Stuttgart  under  Wilhelm  Speidel,  with  the  idea 
of  becoming  a  professional.  On  quitting  Oxford  he  went  back  to  Stutt- 
gart for  another  year  and  studied  harmony  and  the  piano  under  Dr. 
Lebert  and  Prof.  Pruckner.  Then  for  six  months  at  Frankfort  he  studied 
hirmony  and  counterpoint  with  Dr.  Huff,  an  eminent  author  of  musical 
treatises.  At  Florence,  Italj-,  he  studied  singing  with  Vanuccini.  He 
first  came  to  Chicago  in  the  autumn  of  1882.  His  first  compositions  were 
songs,  and  he  has  written  over  fifty  ballads,  which  combine  musical  taste 
with  melody  sufficient  to  win  popular  favor.  He  has  also  written  a  score 
or  more  of  piano  compositions,  several  of  which  have  become  favorites 
with  concert  pianists,  while  his  songs  are  frequently  found  on  concert 
programmes.  A  tarantelle  and  a  gavotte  aie  his  most  successful  works 
for  orchestra.  It  is  as  a  composer  of  light  opera  that  he  manifests  the 
most  decided  talent.  His  two  operas.  The  Begum  and  Don  Quixote,  both 
have  attained  a  high  degree  of  success  with  the  public.  He  perfected 
his  study  of  the  orchestra  and  the  art  of  writing  light  opera  under  the 
tuition  of  Genee  and  Suppe,  both  masters  of  this  branch  of  the  art. 

\V.  C.  E.  Seeboeck. 

This  accomplished  pianist  and  composer,  who  has  been  for  the  past 
three  years  connected  with  the  Chicago  School  of  Vocal  and  Instrumental 
Art,  was  born  in  Vienna,  Austria,  August  21,  1859,  where  his  father 
carried  on  a  commission  and  banking  business.  His  mother,  though  never 
appearing  in  public,  was  an  accomplished  vocalist,  and  pupil  of  Marchesi, 
and  from  this  source  young  Seeboeck  inherited  a  musical  talent  which  led 
to  his  entering  the  study  of  music  when  only  eight  years  of  age.  At  ten 
he  was  placed  under  Gradener  in  piano,  and  had  instruction  also  from 
Epstein  and  Grill,  and  in  harmony  and  composition  from  Nottebohm.  In 
1875  he  studied  under  Johannes  Brahms,  then  in  Vienna.  During  this 
period  he  ako  acquired  a  thorough  collegiate  education,  attending  the 
Theresianum,  a  state  gymnasium,  where  he  was  a  brilliant  student,  and 
acquired  a  high  degree  of  literary  proficiencJ^  In  1877  he  was  sent  to 
St.  Petersburg,  and  remained  for  sixteen  months  a  student  of  music,  also 
enjoying  the  personal  intimacy  and  warm  regard  of  Anton  Rubinstein. 
Returning  to  Vienna,  on  the  death  of  his  father,   he  determined  to  go 

43  669 


to  America,  and  accordingly  came  direct  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  since 
remained.  Here  he  at  once  entered  the  profession  of  teaching,  with  much 
success,  and  became  the  first  year  of  his  residence  pianist  of  the  Apollo 
Club,  a  position  which  he  has  ever  since  retained.  For  several  years  past 
he  has  been  choirmaster  and  organist  of  the  Jefferson  Park  Presbyterian 
church.  He  also  for  one  time  taught  harmony  and  composition  in  Chicago 
Musical  School.  He  is  a  superb  executant,  and  has  participated  in  a 
great  many  important  concert  events  in  Chicago.  He  has  a  remarkable 
facility  in  composition,  and  his  work  is  distinguished  for  its  brilliancy  and 
musical  poetry.  April  21,  his  opera,*  77?^  Missing  Link,  libretto  by  W. 
H.  Edwards,  was  put  on  the  boards  at  Central  music  hall.  While  the 
libretto  was  inferior,  the  music  was  much  admired,  but  a  defaulting 
treasurer  brought  the  venture  to  a  sudden  termination  after  three  perform- 
ances. Mr.  Seeboeck  has  done  much  to  advance  the  cause  of  musical 
culture  in  Chicago  by  numerous  piano  recitals,  concerts,  etc.  He  reads 
every  kind  of  music  at  sight,  and  has  a  unique  gift  in  this  respect.  He 
is  now  engaged  upon  a  grand  opera,  which  will  be  produced  at  Munich, 
Bavaria,  when  completed,  probabh^  in  the  season  of  1891-92.  Portions 
of  this  work  were  rehearsed  during  the  present  )■  ear,  when  Mr.  Seeboeck 
visited  Europe  to  confer  with  those  concerned  in  the  production  of  tihs 
work,  and  great  anticipations  in  artistic  circles  were  aroused.  On  this 
occasion  he  visited  Paris,  and  a  letter  from  Sara  Hershej-  Eddy,  of  Aug.  6, 
says:  "  Mr.  Seeboeck  charmed  a  fine  assembly  in  a  private  soloji  during 
his  visit  in  Paris  by  his  delightful  playing,  which  was  just  as  pleasing 
and  satisfying  here  as  it  was  at  home.  An  artist  is  an  artist  the  world 
over.  The  fertility  of  his  pen  is  remarkable.  Since  his  residence  in 
Chicago  he  has  produced  167  songs,  among  the  more  prominent  being 
Kiss  Me  Well,  Said  Marguetdte  (Op.  32);  Gipsy  Boy;  It  was  a  Dream, 
and  A  Ship  (Op,  44);  How  Fair  and  Sweet  and  Holy,  and  Deivdrop,  (Op. 
28);  By  the  Spring  (Op.  41);  Minuet  Antique  Nos.  i  and  2  (Op.  ); 
Bourret,  Nos.  i  and  2  (Op.  15,  16  and  16);  Berceuse  for  PF  and  violin; 
thirty-two  concerts  etudes,  seven  Paganini  caprices  and  twenty-two 
quartettes,  etc.  He  has  also  composed  fine  church  music.  These  and 
numerous  other  works  are  now  being  published  by  \Vm.  Rohlfing  &  Co., 
Milwaukee;  Brainard's  Sons  and  Summy,  Chicago,  and  Kistner, 
Leipzig,  Germany.  Mr.  Seeboeck  is  a  proficient  linguist,  speaking 
English,  French  and  German  with  equal  facility.  He  pays  a  visit  each 
year  to  Europe,  and  spends  the  remainder  of  his  holiday  term  in  ' '  camp- 
ing" in  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  where  he  gratifies  his  passion  for  the  rod 
and  gun,  and  enjoys  such  other  attractions  as  abound  in  the  hunting 
regions  of  these  states. 

670 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Dramatic,  Orchestral  and  Oratorio  Composers. 

ONTRARY  to  the  popular  impression  among  foreign  musicians, 
the  efforts  of  American  composers  have  by  no  means  been  con- 
l^"'^  fined  to  the  smaller  forms  of  music.  But  before  proceeding  to 
^l^  an  enumeration  of  the  more  prominent  works  of  the  larger  class,  let 
yr  us  consider,  in  brief,  the  peculiar  difBculties  which  an  American 
writer  in  these  larger  forms  has  labored  under  until  within  the  last 
ten  years.  Reflect  upon  the  scanty  opportunity  of  hearing  the  different 
instruments  of  the  orchestra  in  combination  with  the  voice.  Think  how 
occasional  his  opportunities  of  studying  them  practically,  and  how  little 
there  is  about  him  to  call  forth  his  latent  talent  for  dramatic  characteri- 
zation by  means  of  music.  The  wonder  is  not  that  so  little  has  been  done, 
but  that  anything  has  been  done  well.  The  preceding  pages  relating  to  the 
artistic  careers  of  pianists  and  music  teachers,  have  shown,  moreover,  a 
large  number  of  oratorios,  cantatas,  orchestral  pieces,  and  the  like, 
indicating  ambition,  earnest  ideas,  and  at  least,  a  degree  of  training,  if  not 
positive  poetic  talent.  The  record  of  these  works,  incidentally  mentioned, 
is  collected  in  tabular  form  at  the  close  of  the  present  chapter,  and  it  will 
be  singular  indeed  if  the  number  of  them  and  their  nobility  of  conception 
does  not  strike  the  reader  with  surpri.se. 

It  is  also  a  matter  of  record  that  the  highly  gifted  American  com- 
poser, the  late  Wm.  Henr>'  Frj',  composed  his  opera  of  Lconorc  as  long 
ago  as  1845. 

William  Henry  Fry. 
Mr.  Vxy  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Aug.  10,  1815,  and  died  at  Santa 
Cruz,  of  con.sumption,  Dec.  21,  1864.     His  father  was  the  proprietor  of  the 

6:2 


Wm.  Henry  Fry. 


673 


National  Gazette,  a  weekly  newspaper  of  that  time.  The  boy  received 
earl}'  training  in  literature  and  in  music,  and  when  he  was  twenty  years 
of  age  he  v/as  awarded  a  gold  medal  for  an  overture  of  his,  played  by  the 
Philadelphia  Philharmonic  Societ}'.  Three  other  overtures  had  been  writ- 
ten earlier,  one  of  them  when  he  was  but  fourteen  years  of  age.  What- 
ever the  crudities  of  the  works  may  have  been,  for  no  record  of  them  now 
remains,  the  fact  that  they  were  written  by  an  American  boy  of  that 
period  indicates  the  possession  of  talent.  In  1845  1^^  wrote  an  English 
opera  called  Lconore,  which  was  played  several  times  in  Philadelphia  with 
moderate  success.  The  present  writer  made  all  possible  efforts  to  obtain  a 
copy  of  this  work,  but  it  was  never  published.  The  airs  from  it  now  on  sale 
b)'  Ditson  cc  Co.,  acquired  by  them  from  Hall  &  Son,  the  original  pub- 
lishers, are  in  var>-ing  styles.  Certain  ones  of  them  are  much  like  Irish 
melodies,  or  the  airs  of  Balfe's  Bohemian  Girl.  Of  this  kind  is  the  air 
for  soprano,  Return  to  Me,  Ah!  Brother  Dear,  and  Oh,  Fortune,  in  Thy 
Frow7i.  Others  are  distinct  copies  from  Donizetti,  as,  for  instance.  Ah, 
Doom' d  Maiden,  Oh,  Lady,  I  have  Sought  Too  Boldly.  There  is  a  good 
glee,  written  for  chorus.  Fill  Up  the  Vine-ivreathed  Oip.  The  ritoumelles 
as  well  as  the  style  of  the  melodies  and  the  harmonies  that  accom- 
pany them,  indicate  a  lack  of  dramatic  talent,  which  taken  with  the  posi- 
tive absence  of  novelty  in  the  styje  of  the  music  as  a  whole,  accounts  for 
the  small  success  the  work  made.  Nevertheless,  we  must  remember  that 
we  are  here  speaking  of  the  first  opera  of  a  composer  onlj^  thirty  years  of 
age,  educated  and  trained  in  a  community  almost  wholly  wanting  in  orig- 
inal musical  life.  For  all  this,  the  work  was  revived  and  performed  in 
Italian  thirteen  years  later,  namely,  in  1858.  But  by  this  time  Fry  had 
become  a  person  worth  cultivating.  He  had  already  been  a  writer  for  the 
New  York  Tribune,  and  in  1846  he  went  abroad  as  correspondent  and  res- 
ident European  representative  of  that  enterprising  journal.  He  remained 
in  Loudon  and  Paris  for  six  j-ears,  and  must  have  advanced  materially  in 
music  in  the  interim,  for  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Berlioz  and  other 
active  j-oung  musical  spirits  there,  as  appears  from  his  letters.  Upon  his 
return  to  America,  he  was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  Tribune  as  editorial 
writer  and  musical  editor.  He  took  an  active  part  in  supporting  the  sec- 
ond world's  fair,  held  in  New  York  in  1853,  and  delivered  a  course  of  lec- 
tures upon  music  and  its  historJ^  The  Jullien  orchestra  was  then  one  of 
the  principal  attractions  of  the  metropolis,  and  four  of  Fry's  overtures  and 
a  symphony  were  played  by  Jullien.  In  1864  another  opera  of  his  was  pro- 
duced in  Philadelphia,  Notre  Daine  de  Paris.  It  ran  for  several  weeks, 
and  was  then  taken  to  New  York,  where  also  it  was  successful.  He  com- 
posed music  to  the  Stabat  Mater,  and  the  work  was  published  by  Hall  &  • 

674 


Son,  but  upon  acquiring  the  plates  and  holding  them  unused  for  some  years, 
the  house  of  Ditson  &  Co.  had  a  relapse  from  high  art,  and  heartlessl}^ 
melted  them  up  for  reincarnation  in  something  more  salable.  Mentally 
Fr}'  was  a  very  bright  man,  of  wide  sympathies  and  quick  intelligence. 

At  the  present  time,  composers  of  works  conceived  upon  a  large  scale 
are  nearh-  as  plenty  in  America  as  composers  of  sj-mphonies  and  chamber 
music  in  Germany.  It  is  quite  likelj'  that  many  of  these  works  have  but 
small  poetic  value;  but  many  others  of  them,  on  the  other  hand,  are  of 
decided  value,  and  give  a  promise  for  the  future  which  is  not  }-et  suffi- 
ciently recognized  in  critical  quarters.  At  the  head  of  the  list  of  American 
composers  we  place,  for  convenience,  the  genial  professor  at  Harvard, 
mainly  upon  the  principle  that  the  sun  rises  in  the  east. 

JoHX  KxowLEs  Paine. 

John  Knowles  Paine  was  born  at  Portland,  Me.,  Jan.  9,  1839.  His 
first  teacher  was  Mr.  Kotschmar,  well  known  as  the  author  of  a  Te  Deum 
highl}^  celebrated  among  American  choirs.  With  him  he  studied  piano- 
forte, organ  and  composition  to  such  good  effect  that  he  made  a  creditable 
appearance  as  organist  in  his  native  city  June  25,  1857.  Upon  Januarj'  i 
next  ensuing  he  was  intrusted  with  the  complete  accompaniments  of 
Handel's  J/fss/a/i,  upon  the  organ,  without  the  assistance  of  orchestra. 
Directl}^  after  this,  he  went  abroad,  to  Berlin,  for  study.  There-for  three 
5'ears  he  pursued  the  organ  under  the  veteran  virtuoso,  August  Haupt, 
and  piano  and  composition  withW'eprecht  and  Teschner.  In  Berlin  and 
other  places  in  Germany  he  gave  several  organ  concerts  with  success.  In 
1 86 1  he  returned  to  America,  the  first  concert  organist  here  possessing  the 
complete  virtuoso  technique,  according  to  German  standards.  He  gave 
many  organ  concerts  in  Bostoij  and  vicinitj-,  and  it  was  through  his  influ- 
ence, undoubtedly,  that  the  taste  for  organ  music  began  to  form  itself 
according  to  the  standards  of  the  German  school.  With  this  there  came 
a  demand  for  organs  with  full  appointment  of  pedal  stops  and  a  generous 
allowance  of  diapasons,  as  distinguished  from  the  more  fanciful  provision 
of  solo  stops,  previously  relied  upon  for  pleasing  church  commiitees.  The 
purchase  of  the  great  organ  from  Walcker  &  Sons  for  Boston  music  hall 
in  i860  was  largely  due  to  Mr.  Paine's  influence,  co-operating  with  that 
of  such  veteran  music  lovers  as  Mr.  John  S.  Dwight,  A.  W.  Thayer  and 
others.  As  soon  as  this  organ  was  in  place,  Mr.  Paine's  abilities  found 
fuller  recognition,  and  he  made  it  his  business  to  introduce  all  the  leading 
organ  works  of  Bach  &  Thiele.  In  1862  he  was  made  musical  instructor 
in  Harvard  Universitj',  largely  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Dwight  and 
other  leading  musical  spirits.     Here  he  sustained  himself  admirably  and 


showed  by  his  labors  the  value  of  music  as  a  form  of  art,  to  such  good 
purpose  that  in  1876  his  chair  was  raised  to  that  of  a  full  professorship, 
the  first  chair  in  this  department  in  any  American  university.  Prof 
Paine  has  held  this  place  ever  since,  and  has  been  intimately  and  actively 
associated  with  manj^  enterprises  that  have  conduced  to  the  glory  of  Har- 
vard. Among  these  were  the  productions  of  plays  b}'  Sophocles  in  the 
Sanders  theatre,  to  which  Prof  Paine  wrote  original  music,  which  has 
since  been  given  in  many  parts  of  the  countrj-. 

As  a  composer  Prof  Paine  is  entitled  to  a  very  high  rank,  not  only 
among  American  creative  musicians,  but  also  among  those  of  the  world  at 
large.  His  first  composition  in  large  form  was  the  mass  in  D,  produced 
in  Berlin,  Germany,  under  his  own  direction,  at  the  Singakademie,  in 
1861.  In  this  work  he  showed  himself  possessed  of  masterly  command  of 
the  resources  of  fugue  and  counterpoint,  and  great  structural  ability. 
Many  movements  in  it  are  powerful  in  the  extreme,  and  others  are  dis- 
tinguished for  delicacy  and  tonal  beauty.  The  voice  of  the  German  press 
was  very  encouraging  to  the  young  American  composer,  although  it  was 
not  asserted  of  him  that  the  work  showed  distinct  poetic  originalit)-.  This 
would  have  been  carrying  politeness  somewhat  too  far  for  continental 
criticism  upon  American  music.  Moreover,  it  is  likely  that  Mr.  Paine's 
style  had  not  then  reached  the  clearness  that  it  afterward  came  to  possess; 
besides  he  was  still  under  the  influence  of  the  classical  principles  of  art, 
and  as  j^et  had  mastered  little  more  than  the  art  of  handling  the  poly- 
phonic resources  with  ease. 

His  next  work  was  the  oratorio  of  St  Peter,  which  was  first  pub- 
licly performed  in  his  native  city  of  Portland,  Me.,  June  3,  1873.  The 
work  is  founded 'Upon  a  libretto  selected  by  the  author  himself  from  the 
Scriptures.  It  is  in  two  parts,  the  first  embracing  the  divine  call,  closing 
with  the  splendid  chorus,  "Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and  God  shall  give 
thee  light."  The  second  part  opens  with  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  is 
largely  occupied  with  extracts  from  St.  Peter's  sermon  upon  the  daj^  of 
Pentecost.  The  whole  closes  with  a  great  chorus,  "Great  and  marvelous 
are  thy  works,  Lord  God  Almight}'."  In  style  the  work  somewhat 
reminds  one  of  Mendelssohn,  yet  it  is  in  no  sense  an  imitation.  The  solo 
parts  are  largely  recitative,  passing  bj^  almost  insensible  gradations  to 
arioso  and  aria.  The  handling  of  the  recitative  is  masterlj',  the  te.xt  being 
intelligently  declaimed  in  a  musical  setting  enhancing  its  emotional  im- 
plications to  a  remarkable  degree.  The  melodies  also  fit  the  voice  ver>' 
well.  In  the  chorus  treatment  Prof  Paine  is  open  to  the  charge  of  frag- 
mentariness,  in  the  brevity  of  his  subjects  generally,  and  the  closeness  of . 
with  which  the  answers  ^ollow  the  themes.     The  orchestral  writing  is 

676 


//HW  fi .  Jouaui^ 


strong  and  intelligent,  but  often  rather  difficult,  in  consequence  of  the 
practical  unfamiliarity  of  the  writer  with  the  different  instruments.  These 
defects,  universal  in  the  large  works  by  composers  still  young,  are  atoned 
for  by  many  and  great  beauties.  And  it  is  safe  to  say  that  in  any  other 
country  than  the  United  States  a  great  work  by  a  distinguished  native  of 
the  country  would  not  have  been  neglected  to  the  extent  that  Paine' s  Si. 
Peter  has  been.  Some  allowance  for  this  neglect  may  be  made,  however, 
upon  the  score  of  the  great  difficult}'  of  the  choral  parts,  in  which  modu- 
lations are  employed  as  freely  as  in  an  instrumental  fugue,  and  with  per- 
haps somewhat  too  little  consideration  for  the  convenience  of  the  voice. 

The  second  performance  of  this  work  was  given  by  the  Boston  Handel 
and  Haydn  Society,  with  the  Thomas  orchestra  as  accompanists.  May  9, 
1874.  Upon  this  occasion  it  made  a  splendid  impression,  many  prominent 
musicians  present  expressing  themselves,  very  properl}',  to  the  effect  that 
St.  Peter  is  a  credit  to  American  art.  Mr.  Dudley  Buck  wrote  a  personal 
friend  immediately  after  the  occasion  that  the  preaching  of  St.  Peter,  in 
the  second  part,  was  not  too  long,  but  turned  out  to  be  one  of  the  most 
interesting  divisions  of  the  work. 

Among  the  later  works  alluded  to  above  is  the  music  to  Sophocles' 
CEdipus  Tyrannis,  written  for  the  production  of  the  tragedy  in  the  original 
Greek  at  Harvard  in  188 1.  It  consists  of  an  overture  and  seven  numbers 
for  chorus  and  semi- chorus,  the  whole  interspersed  with  the  spoken  parts 
of  the  play.  The  text  is  both  Greek  and  English,  and  the  music  has  been 
given  a  number  of  times  in  different  parts  of  the  countrj'-  with  readings  by 
Mr.  Geo.  Riddle,  who  personated  CEdipus  at  the  original  presentation  of 
the  work.  In  this  music  Mr.  Paine  has  hampered  himself  somewhat  in 
order  to  keep  within  the  limitations  proper  to  music  supposedly  antique. 
It  goes  without  saying  that  he  did  not  carry  this  realism  so  far  as  to  pre- 
sent his  music  in  unison  and  octaves,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  Greek 
composers.  He  uses  harmony  and  orchestral  coloring  with  good  effect. 
The  music  has  a  great  deal  of  power  and  impressiveness.  It  is  thoroughly 
original. 

As  an  orchestral  writer,  Prof.  Paine  has  composed  several  symphon- 
ies, of  which  at  least  three  have  been  performed.  His  symphony-fantasia, 
The  Tempest,  founded  upon  Shakespeare's  play,  has  been  played  in  Boston 
several  times.  Mr.  Theodore  Thomas  has  repeatedly  given  the  symphony 
in  C  minor.  Op.  Op.  23,  and  the  symphony  in  A,  Spring,  opus  34.  He 
has  also  a  duo  concertante  for  violin,  'cello  and  orchestra,  which  has  been 
played  at  the  Boston  symphony  concerts. 

Prof.  Paine' s  published  works  are  the  following: 

Op.  3,  organ  variations  upon  Austrian  national  hymn  and  The  Star. 

678 


Spangled  Banner;  Op.  7,  Christmas  Gift,  for  pianoforte;  Op.  9;  Fwieral 
Mareh,  pianoforte;  Op.  10,  mass  in  D;  Op.  11,  Vier  Character-Stuccke  fur 
pia7ioforte;  Op.  12,  romance  in  C  minor;  Op.  19,  two  preludes  for  organ; 
Op.  20,  St.  Peter,  an  oratorio,  for  soli,  chorus  and  orchestra;  Op.  25,  Four 
Characteristic  Pieces,  pianoforte;  Op.  26,  In  the  Country,  pianoforte;  Op.  27, 
Centennial  Hymn,  words  by  Whittier,  written  for  the  centennial  celebra- 
tion at  Philadelphia,  in  1876;  Op.  29,  four  songs  for  soprano.  The  orches- 
tral works  are  as  yet  unpublished. 

For  several  years  Prof.  Paine  delivered  lectures  upon  musical  history 
in  connection  with  the  New  England  Conser\-atory.  In  the  North  Amer- 
ican Review,  and  elsewhere,  he  took  strong  ground  against  the  theories 
of  Richard  Wagner;  in  spite  of  this,  his  own  later  writings  indicate  no 
small  inner  sympathy  with  similar  ideals  of  tone-painting. 

Dudley  Buck. 

This  eminent  American  composer  was  born  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  March 
10,  1839,  his  father  being  a  well  to-do  merchant  there.  Dudley  was  not 
intended  for  a  musician,  but  his  inclination  in  this  direction  was  too  strong 
to  be  resisted.  He  had  no  piano  and  no  instruction  until  the  age  of  six- 
teen, when  he  was  put  at  piano  study  with  Mr.  W.  J.  Babcock,  of  Hart- 
ford, under  whom  he  made  rapid  progress.  The  farther  he  went  in  music 
the  stronger  his  inclination  became  toward  it,  and  at  last  his  father  gave 
up  his  own  intentions  concerning  his  boy,  and  said,  "Well,  if  you  are 
bound  to  be  a  musician,  we  will  do  it  as  it  ought  to  be  done."  So  in 
1858  the  young  musician  was  sent  to  Leipzig  Conser\'atory,  where  for 
eighteen  months  he  was  a  pupil  of  Plaidy  upon  the  piano,  and  of  Julius 
Rietz,  E.  F.  Richter  and  Moritz  Hauptmann  in  compo.sition.  On  the 
removal  of  Julius  Rietz  to  Dresden,  where  he  was  made  director  of  the 
opera  in  Feburary,  i860.  Buck  followed  him  there  and  continued  his 
studies  w'ith  him,  taking  lessons  upon  the  organ  of  Frederick  Schneider. 
In  1 86 1  Mr.  Buck  went  to  Paris,  where  he  studied  for  a  year,  spending 
much  of  his  time  in  the  government  organ  factory,  in  the  construction 
and  improvement  of  which  instrument  he  felt  great  interest.  In  1862  he 
was  back  in  Hartford,  where  he  became  organist  of  the  Park  church. 
His  studies  in  composition  had  been  comprehensive,  covering  all  the 
forms  of  orchestral  and  chamber  music,  of  which  he  brought  home  many 
specimens  (to  be  subsequently  destroyed  in  the  great  Chicago  firej.  But 
at  this  time  in  America  there  was  not  the  slightest  opportunity  for  a  3'oung 
American  composer  to  make  himself  known  in  this  direction.  The  only 
real  opening  was  in  the  line  of  church  music.  While  connected  with  the 
Hartford  church  he  published  his  first  Mottette  Collection,  a  work  which 

679 


marked  an  epoch  in  American  churdi  music.  Several  of  Mr.  Buck's 
pieces  in  this  collection  are  still  as  fresh  as  if  written  yesterday,  having  in 
them  great  originality.  Of  this  kind  are  The  Lord  is  King  and  Jubilate. 
One  of  the  most  attractive  numbers  in  the  work  is  the  anthem,  Brightest 
and  Best  of  the  Sons  of  the  Morning,  the  history  of  which  is  worth  giving. 
Upon  a  certain  Saturday  the  clergyman  handed  Mr.  Buck  the  list  of  hymns 
for  the  ensuing  day,  and  among  them  was  this  one.  Buck  supposed  that 
he  would  have  no  difficulty  in  finding  suitable  music  for  so  brilliant  a 
portion  of  the  hymnal,  and  one  so  well  suited  for  musical  setting.  To  his 
surprise  he  was  unable  to  find  anything  to  his  mind.  Accordingly  he 
improvised  the  music  as  it  stands  in  the  book,  wrote  it  out  hastily  with 
pencil,  and  copied  the  parts  for  his  quartette  choir.  It  was  sung  with 
great  effect  the  next  day,  and  it  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  pieces  of  Amer- 
ican church  music.  This  book  of  Buck's  was  notable  because  it  was  the 
first  collection  published  in  America  in  which  modern  styles  of  German 
musical  composition  were  freely  used,  with  unlimited  freedom  of  modula- 
tion and  the  addition  of  an  independent  organ  accompaniment,  after  the 
best  traditions  of  the  German  school.  In  the  latter  respect  the  book  had 
a  vast  influence,  for  to  many  organists  it  was  the  first  authentic  informa- 
tion they  had  received  concerning  the  proper  manner  of  using  the  organ 
effectively  for  acconipanjdng  and  heightening  the  effect  of  the  choir  sing- 
ing. The  indications  for  registration  are,  indeed,  brief  and  misleading  for 
our  present  organs,  since  they  were  made  under  the  impression  that  the 
average  American  organ,  as  then  existing,  consisted  largeh^  of  ' '  short ' ' 
stops  and  ineffective  diapasons.  Hence  the  direction  ' '  full  organ  ' '  is  too 
often  used. 

Mr.  Buck  became  widely  known  almost  immediately  as  concert  organ- 
ist, in  which  direction  he  raised  the  standard  verj-  much.  His  principal 
competitors  were  Messrs.  John  H.  Wilcox  and  George  Washbounie  Mor- 
gan, both  of  whom  were  addicted  to  popular  selections  for  the  pretty  stops, 
almost  wholly  ignoring  the  severer  stj'le  of  German  organ  music.  Buck 
was  catholic  in  his  taste.  While  an  admirer  of  Bach  and  an  effective 
master  of  the  best  of  Bach's  organ  music,  he  was  still  more  an  admirer  of 
Beethoven  and  Wagner,  and  of  romantic  music  generally.  Hence  he  in- 
troduced selections  from  Wagner,  and  from  such  light  German  writers  as 
Kreutzer  and  others,  his  idea  being  to  make  the  organ  attractive  by  pro- 
ducing upon  it  enjoyable  music  of  all  kinds.  His  pedal  playing  was  far 
ahead  of  anything  then  existing  in  America,  saving  possibly  that  of  Prof. 
John  K.  Paine,  who,  on  the  other  hand,  lacked  Buck's  knack  with  a  pop- 
ular audience.  In  fact,  Mr.  Buck's  organ  playing  has  rarely  or  never 
been  duplicated,  for  while  greater  virtuosi  may  have  appeared  in  America 


680 


since,  there  has  been  no  other  concert  organist  with  so  much  natural  gift 
for  music,  combined  with  orchestral  experience  and  a  practical  knowledge 
of  the  mechanism  of  the  organ. 

Almost  immediately  after  the  publication  of  the  First  Mottette  Collec- 
tion, Mr.  Buck  began  his  series  of  Episcopal  church  music,  of  which 
Schirmer,  of  New  York,  was  the  publisher.  Different  series  of  these 
works  have  aggregated  nearly  a  hundred,  and  from  the  first  have  been 
successful  wnth  the  better  class  of  choirs — so  much  so  that  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  no  other  name  is  so  well  known  in  this  department  as  Mr.  Buck's, 
and  no  other  w-riter  has  had  so  much  influence  in  forming  and  elevating 
the  public  taste. 

In  1867  Mr.  Buck  removed  to  Chicago,  bought  a  handsome  resi- 
dence in  an  attractive  part  of  the  city,  and  built  upon  the  side  of  his  lot  a 
small  music  hall,  in  which  he  placed  an  organ  of  three  manuals  and  about 
thirtj'^  stops,  from  the  manufactory  of  Johnson  &  Son.  Here  he  gave 
organ  recitals  frequently,  thereby  affording  a  great  opportunity  for  Chicago 
musical  students  and  music  lovers.  He  was  organist  of  St.  James  church, 
then  the  leading  one  in  the  city  of  its  denomination,  where  he  had  a 
superior  quartette  choir.  It  was  for  his  own  choir  that  he  wrote  many  of 
the  pieces  afterward  included  in  his  second  Mottette  Collection,  published 
in  1870.  Among  the  many  superior  attractions  of  this  work  there  were 
about  twenty  pieces  of  Mr.  Buck's  own,  all  composed  within  about  a  fort- 
night, during  his  convalescence  from  an  illness  in  which  he  had  been  very 
near  death.  In  the  opinion  of  the  present  writer  these  are  among  the 
best  of  Mr.  Buck's  church  pieces.  Thej^  are  more  smoothly  written  than 
his  older  works,  and  show  a  complete  divergence  from  the  ordinary  and 
the  conventional  in  musical  phraseology,  while  the  spirit  of  them  is  sin- 
gularly close  to  that  of  the  texts  wiiich  they  severally  illustrate.  This 
work  was  published  by  Ditson  &  Co.  The  great  fire  of  187 1  burned  Mr. 
Buck's  home  and  all  his  effects,  including  his  fine  library-  and  a  large 
number  of  musical  MSS  and  mementoes,  impossible  to  replace.  His  insur- 
ance happened  to  be  good  in  part,  and  with  the  proceeds  he  bought 
a  home  in  Somerville,  Boston,  where  in  1872  he  became  organist  of  Bos- 
ton music  hall  and  of  St.  Paul's  church,  and  a  teacher  of  composition  in 
the  New  England  Conservatory.  His  organ  recitals  upon  the  great  organ 
in  Boston  music  hall  w^ere  among  the  most  varied  and  interesting  ever 
given  there.  In  1875  he  was  organist  of  the  Cincinnati  May  festival, 
under  Theodore  Thomas,  and  soon  after  he  removed  to  New  York,  with 
a  view  of  being  assistant  conductor  of  the  Thomas  orchestra.  He  became 
organist  of  the  church  of  Hoh^  Trinity,  in  Brooklyn,  and  director  of  the 
Apollo  Club  in  1875,  but  the  connection  with  the  Thomas  orchestra  was" 
soon  terminated. 


682 


His  activnty  in  the  higher  forms  of  composition  dates  mostly  from 
1874,  his  cantata,  Don  Munio,  having  been  composed  and  published  in  that 
year.  It  is  for  mixed  chorus  and  orchestra.  His  setting  of  the  Forty-sixth 
Psalm,  God  Is  Our  Refuge,  was  published  also  in  1874.  This  beautiful 
workh  as  been  performed  many  times,  its  first  production  having  been  by 
the  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  of  Boston,  in  1874.  For  the  centennial 
celebration  in  Philadelphia  in  1876  he  wrote  Tlie  Centennial  Meditation  oj 
Columbia,  to  words  written  for  the  occasion  by  the  late  Sydney  Lanier. 
Two  small  cantatas  for  mixed  chorus  and  orchestra.  The  N'un  of  Nidaros 
and  for  male  chorus.  King  Olaf' s  Cliristmas,  were  composed  in  1878  and 
1887.  In  1880  he  finished  his  light  opera,  a  comedy,  Deseret,  which  was 
performed  in  various  parts  of  the  country  by  an  extremely  inadequate 
company.  It  was  not  successful  financially,  and  the  opera  suffered 
from  being  advertised  as  a  comic  opera,  which  it  was  not.  Properly 
speaking,  it  was  a  comedy  opera,  with  romantic  leanings,  and  if  heard  in 
this  spirit  it  contained  many  beauties.  Mr.  Buck  has  written  two  large 
cantatas,  or  oratorios.  The  Golden  Legend,  to  words  selected  from  Long- 
fellow,  was  composed  in   1880. 

His  latest  work  in  this  line  was  The  Light  of  Asia,  founded  upon  Mr. 
Kdwin  Arnold's  poem,  and  published  by  the  Novellos,  1886.  It  has  been 
performed  in  London.  The  work  has  an  oriental  coloring  of  orchestration, 
and  several  of  the  numbers  have  a  mj'stical  beauty  peculiar  to  Mr.  Buck's 
genius.  There  are  also  several  compositions  for  orchestra,  in  large 
dimensions.  These  have  not  as  yet  been  successful  in  America,  but 
have  been  highly  praised  in  Germany.  He  has  also  written  quite 
a  number  of  compositions  for  organ,  of  which  the  two  most  important  are 
his  sonatain  E  flat,  published  in  1867,  and  his  second  sonata  in  G  minor, 
published  ten  years  later.  There  are  two  books  of  Studies  for  Pedal 
Phrasing,  which  deser\^edly  hold  a  very  high  rank  among  the  pedagogic 
material  of  the  organ.  In  1887  he  published  The  Art  of  Choir  Accom- 
paniment, a  treatise  upon  registration  and  arranging  for  organ,  and  in 
1882,  a  literary  work.  The  Influence  of  the  Organ  in  History.  Space 
fails  to  mention  his  successful  songs  with  pianoforte  accompaniment,  or 
his  own  librettos  to  Don  Miunio  and  Cohanbus. 

Upon  the  whole,  it  is  too  soon  to  pass  a  valid  opinion  upon  Mr. 
Buck's  work  in  its  relation  to  the  movement  of  musical  thought  in  the 
world  at  large.  He  has  manifested  great  originalit)',  ambition,  earnest- 
ness of  purpose  and  a  genius  for  the  well  sounding  and  the  practicable. 
The  prospect  is  that  subsequent  generations  will  hold  his  name  in  higher 
reverence  than  it  is  held  by  the  generation  contemporaneous  with  him. 
At  all  events,  Mr.  Buck  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished 

68j 


and  successful  of  American  composers.     Personallj-  Mr.  Buck  is  a  culti- 
vated man,  of  wide  sympathies  and  quick  intelligence. 

Charles  Crozat  Converse. 

A  name  which  is  enrolled  among  the  American  composers  who  have 
done  good  work,  and  whose  future  promises  to  be  even  more  brilliant  than 
their  past  and  present  is  that  of  Mr.  Charles  Crozat  Converse.  He  was 
boni  in  a  Massachusetts  village  in  1832,  and  is  a  member  of  one  of  the 
oldest  American  families.  His  ancestors  came  to  New  England  in  1630 
with  Winthrop,  and  the  house  was  closel)'  allied  to  the  interests  of  the  new 
country  during  the  period  of  its  earliest  development.  C.  C.  Converse 
was  carefully  educated  at  the  academy  of  one  of  his  kinsmen  in  New  York 
state,  and  he  supplemented  the  knowledge  here  acquired  by  a  period  of 
study  in  Europe.  His  mind  inclined  to  music,  and  at  Leipzig  he  became 
a  pupil  of  the  celebrated  harmonist,  E.  F.  Richter,  who  prophesied  a  brill- 
iant future  for  one  who  manifested  such  gifts  as  a  composer.  He  enjoj-ed 
the  personal  friendship  of  Richter  and  also  of  the  celebrated  composer, 
Spohr,  who  predicted  that  he  would  become  famous  as  a  writer  of  music. 
Mr.  Converse  spent  several  A-ears  at  Leipzig,  stud\-ing  and  writing,  and 
liis  compositions  written  at  this  time  received  high  commendation  from 
Haupt,  Rietz,  Liszt  and  other  authorities  who  observed  their  excellencies. 
He  wrote  symphonies,  overtures,  chamber  music,  songs,  and,  in  fact, 
essaj-ed  almost  every  branch  of  composition,  some  of  his  songs  being  pub- 
lished by  Breitkopf  &  Haertel,  at  Leipzig.  Returning  to  America,  he 
visited  for  a  while  in  England  and  was  kindl}^  entertained  bj-  Dr.  Stem- 
dale  Bennett,  professor  of  music  at  Cambridge  University.  Dr.  Bennett 
praised  Mr.  Converse's  work  and  offered  to  accept  his  126th  Psalm  for 
chorus  and  orchestra  (a  work  which  was  afterward  performed  by  Theodore 
Thomas  at  the  Chicago  meeting  of  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Associ- 
ation) as  a  thesis  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  ^lusic.  On  his  return  to 
America,  he  entered  the  law  department  of  Albany  University,  graduating 
therefrom  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  since  which  time  he  has  busied 
himself  with  his  law  and  business  interests,  waiting  for  suitable  opportu- 
nities for  the  performance  of  his  works.  He  was  honored  by  Gilmore's 
selection  of  his  overtures  at  the  first  Peace  Jubilee  in  Boston,  and  of  an- 
other by  Theodore  Thomas  for  performance  by  the  Brooklyn  Philharmonic 
Society.  The  choice  of  his  psalm  by  the  M.  T.  N.  A.  programme  commit- 
tee, which  was  made  without  their  knowing  its  authorship,  is  a  token  of 
its  excellence.  This  work  abounds  in  fugal  writing  and  closes  with  a 
five-voiced,  double  fugue,  to  which  Richter  and  Hauptmann  gave  the 
highest  praise.     Many  American  composers  are  becoming  to  be  held  in. 

rS4 


WwO/vCi^  ^)\<f'>aX-  Vj^^vA'V^ti/v/*--^-^ 


44 


6S5 


high  esteem  in  Europe,  and  Mr.  Converse  must  be  ranked  among  the 
number. 

Theodore  Thomas  produced  Mr.  Converse's  overture  Im  Fruhling 
at  Chickering  hall  last  year,  and  the  work  was  highly  praised  by  all  who 
heard  it.  He  has  many  orchestral  works  in  manuscript,  some  of  which 
will  doubtless  be  heard  ere  long,  either  in  this  country  or  in  Europe. 
Philologists  know  Mr.  Converse  as  the  inventor  of  the  pronoun  "  thon  " 
which  was  fully  described  in  the  Critic,  and  has  been  recommended  for 
adoption  by  many  eminent  scholars.  Mr.  Converse  was  married  in  1858 
to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Lewis  of  Gainesville,  Ala.  He  now  resides  with  his 
family  at  Erie,  Pa. 

Dr.  Frederic  Louis  Ritter. 

This  eminent  scholar  and  composer  was  bom  at  Strassburg  in  1834. 
His  first  masters  were  H.  M.  Schletterer  and  Hauser,  with  whom  he 
began  to  study  at  a  very  early  age ;  and  when  sixteen  he  was  sent  to 
Paris  under  the  care  of  his  cousin,  George  Kastner.  Subsequently  he 
went  to  Germany,  and  in  1852,  being  then  eighteen,  he  returned  to  his 
native  country,  where  he  received  the  appointment  of  professor  of  music 
in  the  Protestant  Seminary  of  Fenestrange. 

Some  of  his  relatives,  who  had  settled  in  the  United  States,  induced 
him  to  come  to  this  country,  and  for  several  years  he  resided  in  Cincin- 
nati, where  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  activity  in  the  advancement  of 
taste  and  culture.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Cecilia  (choral)  and 
Philharmonic  (orchestral)  societies,  which  were  the  first  to  produce  in 
America  a  number  of  important  works.  In  1862  he  went  to  New  York, 
where  he  became  conductor  of  the  Sacred  Harmonic  Society — a  post 
which  he  retained  for  eight  years — and  of  the  Arion  Choral  Society  (male 
voices). 

In  1867  he  organized  and  conducted  the  first  musical  festival  held 
in  the  citj-,  and  received,  dtiring  the  same  j^ear,  the  appointment  of  pro- 
fessor of  music  and  director  of  the  musical  department  of  Vassar  College, 
Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y.  The  University  of  New  York  conferred  upon  him, 
in  1874,  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Music. 

In  the  field  of  literature  Dr.  Ritter' s  labors  include  articles  on 
musical  topics,  published  in  French,  German  and  English  periodicals, 
and  several  books.  His  most  important  work  is  A  History  of  Music  in  the 
Form  of  Lectures,  published  in  Boston  (Ditson  &  Co.).  He  edited  the 
English  edition  of  The  Realm  of  Tones  (Schuberth  &  Co. ,  New  York, 
1883),  and  wrote  the  appendix,  containing  the  biographies  of  American 
musicians.     In  November,  1883,  his  new  books.  Music  in  Englayid  and 

686 


I 


ri'.a^^^^. 


687 


Music  hi  America,  were  issued  bj^  Chas.  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York.     As  a 
composer  Dr.  Ritter  may  be  classed  with  the  modern  Franco-German  school. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  his  works  : 

Op.  I,  Hafis,  cyclus  of  Persian  songs;  Op.  2,  Preambule  Scherzo, 
piano;  Op.  3,  ten  children's  songs;  Op.  4,  Fairy  Love;  Op.  5,  eight 
piano  pieces;  Op.  6,  six  songs;  Op.  7,  five  choruses  (male  voices);  Op. 
8,  Twenty-third  Psalm  (female  voices);  Op.  10,  five  songs;  Opi.  i, 
organ  fantasia  and  fugue;  Op.  12,  Voices  of  the  Night,  piano;  Op.  13, 
Dirge  for  huo  Veterans,  poem  by  Walt  Whitman,  with  melodramatic 
music  for  the  piano;  Op.  14,  the  Ninet}--fifth  Psalm,  for  female  voices, 
with  organ  accompaniment;  Op.  15,  six  songs;  Op.  16,  suite  for  piano- 
forte; Op.  17,  the  Fourth  Psalm,  for  baritone,  solo,  chorus  and  orchestra; 
ten  Irish  melodies,  with  piano  accompaniment;  A  Practical  Method  for 
the  histruction  of  Chorus  Classes,  in  two  parts;  O  Salutaris!  baritone  solo 
and  organ;  Ave  Maria,  mezzo-soprano  solo  and  organ;  Parting,  song  for 
mezzo-soprano  voice.  Besides  the  above,  which  have  all  been  published, 
the  following  is  a  list  of  works  still  in  manuscript  form:  Three  sj-m- 
phonies.  A,  E  minor  and  E  flat;  Stella,  pocmc-symphoniqiic  d' apres  Victor 
Htigo;  overture,  Othello;  concerto  for  violoncello  and  orchestra;  concerto 
for  piano  and  orchestra;  fantasia  for  bass  clarionet  and  orchestra;  septette- 
serenade,  for  flute,  horn  and  string  quintette;  string  quintette;  several 
string  quartettes;  the  Fortj'-sixth  Psalm,  for  soprano  solo,  chorus-  and 
orchestra,  first  performed  at  the  New  York  festival  of  1867.  Alanj^  of  the 
larger  works  have  also  been  rendered  b}'  the  Philharmonic  societies  of 
New  York  and  Brooklyn. 

Silas  G.  Pratt. 

The  ambitious  composer  and  writer,  Silas  G.  Pratt,  whose  name  is  so 
prominently  connected  with  the  contemporary  history  of  music  in  Chicago, 
was  bom  at  Addison,  Yt.,  on  Aug.  4,  1846.  He  began  early  to  manifest 
that  innate  love  of  music  and  poetr\'  which  eventually  led  him  to  adopt 
music  as  a  profession.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years,  owing  to  his  father's 
failure,  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  music  house  of  H.  M.  Higgins,  of  Chicago, 
devoting  to  practice  the  few  moments  which  he  could  spare  from  business. 
Subsequently,  after  serv'ing  a  year  with  Root  &  Cady,  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Lyon  &  Healy  as  clerk;  continuing  all  the  time  to  improve 
himself  by  diligent  practice  and  study.  His  first  composition,  Lorena 
Schottische  was  written  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  His  abilities  as  a  pianist 
had  now  so  far  developed  that  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  1868  a  series 
of  soirees  musicales  were  given,  which  may  be  considered  as  the  starting 
point  of  Mr.  Pratt's  future  career. 


>^S^  ^^^^^izZf. 


689 


In  1868,  at  the  age  of  tvvent3'-t\vo,  full  of  ardor  and  enthusiasm,  he 
went  to  Berlin,  in  order  to  secure  the  best  educational  advantages  and  to 
gratify  his  artistic  aspirations.  He  studied  piano  under  the  great  masters 
Bendel  and  Kullak,  and  composition  and  counterpoint  under  Wuerst  and 
Kiehl.  With  his  natural  gifts  and  his  ambition,  and  with  his  indefati- 
gable industr}^  he  made  the  most  rapid  progress,  at  the  expense,  however, 
of  his  physical  strength,  which  became  so  far  weakened  by  the  continual 
strain  as  to  lose  the  use  of  his  right  wrist.  Disappointed  in  his  hopes 
of  becoming  a  virtuoso,  he  turned  his  attention  to  composition,  and  in  this 
occupation  found,  as  he  says,  "  a  source  of  comfort  and  rest  from  his 
trials  and  struggles."  It  was  at  this  time  that  he  wrote  his  first  work  for 
orchestra,  Magdalene' s  Lament,  in  the  form  of  a  single  symphonic  move- 
ment 

During  the  course  of  a  journey  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  he 
visited  Leipzig,  Eisenach,  Coburg,  Nuremberg,  Legensburg  and  Munich. 
At  the  latter  place  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Gung'l,  the  celebrated 
waltz  composer,  who  rehearsed  his  symphonic  sketch,  expressing  his 
appreciation  of  the  meritorious  nature  of  the  work.  The  lyric  opera 
of  Antonio  was  commenced  while  here,  and  finished  after  his  return 
to  Berlin.  This  was  rehearsed  by  the  Berlin  Kapelle,  and  the  adagio,  the 
easiest  movement,  was  at  once  selected  and  performed  at  the  regular 
symphou}^  concert. 

Upon  returning  to  America,  after  these  j-ears  of  diligent  study,  he 
made  his  first  public  appeai^ance  in  Chicago  April,  1872,  in  a  concert 
composed  chiefly  of  his  own  piano  and  vocal  works.  The  cit}-,  still  covered 
with  the  smoking  ruins  of  the  great  fire,  offered  but  a  poor  field  for  the 
aspiring  artist.  The  concert,  though  successful  from  an  artistic  point 
of  view,  was  financiall}"  a  failure,  and  compelled  him  to  accept  once  mere 
the  clerical  position  which  he  had  resigned  four  j-ears  before.  ISIr.  Pratt 
attended  the  second  great  peace  jubilee  at  Boston,  having  charge  of  the 
Chicago  musicians.  The  first  movement  of  his  SN-mphon}'  was  performed 
and  received  by  the  audience  with  man}-  tokens  of  pleasure  and  approval. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  he  organized  the  Apollo  Club,  an  institution 
whose  high  aims  reflect  great  credit  upon  its  founders. 

In  the  summer  of  1874,  at  Farwell  Hall,  under  the  direction  of  Hans 
Balatka,  he  gave  selections  from  his  opera  of  Antonio.  This  venture 
proved  a  gratifying  success,  and  afforded  him  encouragement  for  further 
efforts.  Returning  to  Berlin  in  1875,  he  studied  score  reading  with  Hein- 
rich  Dorn,  and  composed  the  Prodigal  Son  symphony  and  the  Ce7itcnnia.l 
Anniversary  overture,  as  well  as  other  small  works  for  orchestra.  The 
Centennial  ov^rlnre,  which  was  produced  July  4,  1876,  under  the  direc-" 

690 


tion  of  the  author,  achieved  for  him  a  signal  triumph.  Returning  home 
via  London,  the  presence  in  that  city,  of  Gen.  Grant,  made  the  .hnii- 
versary  overture,  which  is  dedicated  to  him,  very  acceptable  to  the  man- 
agers of  the  Cr>-stal  palace,  who  had  prepared  a  grand  popular  demon- 
stration in  his  honor.  The  production  of  this,  and  later  the  march 
Homage  to  Chicago,  at  the  Alexandra  palace  —  the  latter  directed  by  the 
author  —  secured  for  the  composer  many  compliments. 

After  his  success  in  London  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  gave  a  series 
of  symphony  concerts  at  McCormick  hall  in  1878.  He  now  undertook  the 
composition  of  his  grand  opera,  Zcnobia.  This  was  produced  in  1880, 
with  the  assistance  of  Annie  Louise  Carj*,  and  made  a  very  favorable  im- 
pression on  both  the  press  and  the  public.  In  1882  Mr.  Pratt  was  invited 
to  perform  before  the  Music  Teachers'  National  Association  in  Albanj-, 
N.  Y.  At  the  close  of  his  recital  of  original  works  and  at  his  suggestion 
a  resolution  was  adopted  that  at  all  subsequent  meetings  of  the  associ- 
ation one  programme  should  be  devoted  to  works  by  native  American 
composers. 

Mr.  Pratt's  ardent  and  energetic  temperament  prompted  him  to  de- 
voted himself,  with  characteristic  zeal,  to  the  cause  of  American  opera. 
He  conceived  the  idea  of  organizing  a  companj-  whose  main  object  should 
be  the  production  of  original  works  and  the  encouragement  of  native 
talent.  With  this  purpose  he  projected  the  grand  opera  festival  of  1884, 
and  was  an  active  spirit  in  organizing  the  "  Chicago  Opera  Festival  Asso- 
ciation." He  was  the  general  director  and  manager  of  the  chorus  of  this 
great  enterprise,  which  resulted  in  giving  the  community  opera,  upon  a 
scale  hitherto  unknown. 

At  t"..e  close  of  this  great  festival  Mr.  Pratt  again  visited  London,  giv- 
ing with  success  three  concerts  of  piano,  vocal  and  chamber  nuisic  at 
Steinwaj'  hall,  and  producing,  Oct.  5,  1885,  at  the  Crystal  palace,  his 
Prodigal  Son  symphou}-  and  selections  from  Zcnobia.  Upon  his  return  to 
'Chicago,  he  re-wrote  his  first  opera,  and  produced  it  at  the  Columbia 
theatre,  in  March,  1887,  under  the  title  oi  Lucille.  In  1888  he  compo.sed 
and  presented  his  novel  entertainment  The  Musical  Metempsychosis.  Mr. 
Pratt  moved  earh'  in  i88g  to  New  York,  taking  a  position  as  piano  teacher 
at  the  Metropolitan  Conservator}-  of  Music.  Besides  his  published  com- 
positions his  works  include  a  Serenade  and  a  canon,  The  Court,  both  for 
string  orchestra  —  Rocking  and  Antique  minuets,  overtures  to  Lucille, 
Zcnobia  and  The  Anniversary  Centennial,  also  an  unfinished  grand  sym- 
phonic suite,  called  The  Tempest;  and  has  librettos  completed  of  Pris- 
cilla,  a  comic  opera,  and  Ollajitay,  a  grand  opera.  His  published  works 
consist  of  forrty  pieces  for  the  piano  and  twenty  vocal  compositions. 

691 


One  of  the  most  promising  of  the  younger  conductors  of  orchestra 
in  America — in  fact,  we  might  say  the  most  distinguished  of  the  entire 
number — is  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken,  but  as  he  is  also  a  composer  of  many 
beautiful  works  for  orchestra,  giving  promise  of  something  still  better 
in  the  not  distant  future,  he  is  included  here;  yet  with  no  intention  of 
ignoring  his  importance  in  the  former  respect. 

Frank  Van  der  Stucken. 

This  widely  known  conductor  and  composer  was  bom  at  Fredericks- 
burg, Gillespie  county,  Tex.,  Oct.  15,  1858.  He  devoted  himself  very 
early  to  a  musical  career,  and  obtained  his  first  instruction  in  music 
from  Professor  Peter  Benoit,  at  the  Conser\'atory  of  Music  of  Antwerp, 
Belgium.  His  first  compositions  were:  Gloria,  for  chorus  and  orchestra, 
produced  at  the  cathedral  of  that  cit}^;  Tc  Deian,  for  soli,  chorus  and 
orchestra,  at  St.  Jacob's  church;  FesUnarch,  for  orchestra,  at  the  conse- 
cration of  the  German  school.  During  1877-78  he  resided  in  Germany, 
principalh'  in  Leipzig,  where  he  continued  his  esthetical  studies  under  the 
able  and  enlightened  tutorship  of  Carl  Reinecke.  While  residing  in  the 
latter  city  he  composed  several  sets  of  songs  and  the  symphonic  prologue 
to  Heine's  Ratcliff.  In  1879  he  traveled  in  Austria,  Italy,  Switzerland 
and  France,  and  while  in  Paris  in  1880-81  he  wrote  the  music  to  the  lyric 
drama  Vlasda.  He  enjoj-ed  the  distinction  of  being  engaged,  in  1881-82, 
as  a  kapellmeister  at  the  Breslau  Stadt  theatre,  for  which  he  wrote  the 
music  to  Shakespear's  Tempest.  In  1883  he  met,  at  Weimar,  Dr.  Franz 
Liszt,  whose  protection  enabled  the  aspiring  composer  to  give  a  concert, 
made  up  exclusivel)'  of  his  own  compositions,  at  the  Grand  Ducal  theatre 
of  Weimar,  where  the  orchestra,  chorus  and  theatre  were  placed  at  his 
disposal  by  the  grand  ducal  intendant.  He  received,  on  this  occasion, 
the  voluntarj'  assistance  of  several  prominent  artists,  among  them  Fischer 
Von  Loer,  Louis  Scharnack,  the  contralto,  and  Alexander  Siloti,  the  well 
known  pianist.  Such  was  the  unqualified  success  of  this  concert  that 
the  Musical  Weekly  Euterpe,  a  paper  edited  by  A.  W.  Gottschalg,  headed 
its  notice,  "  A  New  Star  in  the  Musical  Firmament." 

After  having  conducted  some  of  his  own  compositions  at  Magdeburg, 
Antwerp  and  other  places,  he  came  to  New  York,  in  1884,  under  engage- 
ment with  the  Arion  Society,  whose  concerts  he  has  conducted  ever  since. 
His  first  concert  in  the  United  States  took  place  at  Steinway  hall,  April  4, 
1884,  and  secured  for  him  immediate  recognition,  by  the  press  and  the 
public,  as  a  composer  and  conductor  of  unusual  ability.  Since  that  time 
he  has  given  many  notable  concerts.  In  1884-85,  during  a  series  of  con. 
certs  at  Steinway  hall,  one  concert  was  devoted  exclusively  to  the  works" 

692 


693 


of  American  composers.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  this  was  the  very- 
first  concert  made  up  of  compositions  by  native  American  authors  exclu- 
sively. In  1886  he  gave  Sunday  afternoon  orchestral  concerts  at  Stein- 
way  hall,  and  also  choral  society  concerts.  During  a  series  of  symphonic 
concerts  at  Chickering  hall  in  1886-87,  ^^  produced,  for  the  first  time  in 
America,  Berlioz*  Trojans  in  Carthage.  Animated  by  a  desire  to  en- 
courage American  composers,  he  gave  a  series  of  five  concerts,  in  1887-88, 
devoted  entirel}-  to  their  works.  He  also  conducted  the  festival  concerts 
of  the  M.  T.  N.  A.,  at  Indianapolis,  in  July,  1887.  At  the  Paris  exhibi- 
tion, July  12,  1889,  he  gave  a  concert  devoted  to  American  compositions. 
Upon  the  whole,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  what  at  the  present  time  of 
writing  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken  is  the  most  promising  young  conductor  in 
this  country.  It  is  j-et  too  soon  to  say  that  his  talent  will  develop  in  the 
matter  of  abilitj'  to  secure  orchestral  results  of  the  highest  order.  This  is 
an  art  which  requires  experience.  But  taking  into  consideration  the 
ability  of  Mr.  Van  der  Stucken,  together  with  his  geniality  and  energy^ 
we  cannot  doubt  that  he  is  destined  to  cut  a  great  figure  in  American 
music. 

A  musician  and  composer  essentially  American,  in  so  far  as  a  life 
spent  here,  and  ardent  sympathy  with  American  ideals  can  make  him  so, 
is  the  veteran  impresario,  Max  Maretzek,  who  is  a  composer  of  no  mean 
order,  although  it  has  never  happened  to  the  American  people  to  recog- 
nize adequately  his  importance  in  this  direction. 

Max  Maretzek. 

As  man,  composer,  conductor  and  impresario,  few  musicians  have 
contributed  more  to  the  education  of  the  operatic  pubiic  than  Max  Maret- 
zek, who  has  wielded  the  baton  for  over  fifty  j-ears.  He  was  bom  at  Briinn, 
June  28,  182 1,  and  made  his  first  appearance  during  the  season  of  1839, 
when  he  conducted  his  first  opera,  Hainlct,  in  his  native  city.  In  Paris 
we  next  find  him  writing  for  a  living,  the  most  notable  of  his  productions, 
at  that  period,  being  the  music  to  an  album  of  Heine's  songs,  dedicated 
to  the  duchess  of  Nemours,  also  several  ballot  divertissements,  composed 
for  such  artists  as  Carlotta  Grisi,  Lucille  Grahn  and  the  Viennoise  chil- 
dren. In  1844  he  was  assistant  conductor  to  Balfe  at  Her  Majesty's 
theatre,  London,  where  he  remained  four  years.  It  was  to  his  skill  that 
Impresario  Lumley  owed  the  engagement  of  Jenn}-  Lind  for  the  season 
of  1845-46.  At  this  period  he  wrote  his  opera  Ricco  and  three  ballets,  Le 
Genie  dii  Globe,  Lcs  \'iolons  de  Tartini  and  Fete  I 'illagoise.  He  arrived 
in  New  York  in  1848,  and  became  the  director  of  our  only  operatic  estab- 
lishment, and  for  thirty-five  years  thereafter  hardly  an  operatic  season 

694 


passed  without  the  genial  presence  of  Max  Maretzek  at  the  conductor's 
post. 

To  give  an  adequate  idea  of  his  labors,  we  should  be  compelled  to 
write  almost  a  detailed  history  of  opera  in  New  York  during  that  pro- 
tracted period  in  the  course  of  which  he  introduced  to  our  public  the  most 
famous  names  in  the  annals  of  Italian  opera,  as  well  as  the  best  works  oi 
the  modern  Italian  and  French  stage,  most  of  which  he  first  made  known 
in  this  city.  On  his  own  responsibility,  he  has  given  about  twenty- 
five  operatic  seasons  in  New  York.  It  was  one  of  his  characteristics 
during  his  many  years  of  ups  and  downs  never  to  know  despair.  He  had 
unswerving  reliance  in  his  own  energy,  ability  and  personal  magnetism,  as 
well  as  in  the  confidence  of  the  public,  which  never  forsook  him  even  in 
his  darkest  moments. 

George  Whitfield  Chadwick 

Was  born  at  Lowell,  Mass.,  Nov.  13,  1854.  He  came  of  native  American 
stock,  the  family  having  been  long  settled  in  the  country.  He  received 
his  early  instruction  in  music  from  his  elder  brother,  whom  he  succeeded 
as  organist  at  one  of  the  churches  in  Lawrence,  Mass. ,  whither  his  parents 
had  removed  in  i860.  On  leaving  school  he  entered  the  ofl&ce  of  his 
father,  who  was  an  insurance  agent,  but  after  three  years  the  work  became 
distasteful  to  him,  and  he  adopted  music  as  a  profession.  In  1876  he  took 
charge  of  the  musical  department  of  the  college  at  Olivet,  Mich. ,  and  in 
the  following  year  went  to  Europe  to  study.  For  two  years  he  worked 
under  Judassohn  and  Reinecke  at  Leipzig,  the  former  being  especially 
impressed  with  the  ability  of  his  pupil,  and  affording  him  much  encour- 
agement. In  July,  1879,  he  left  Leipzig,  and  after  a  while  settled  at 
Munich,  where  he  studied  composition  and  organ  playing  with  Rhein- 
berger,  for  about  a  year.  Returning  to  Boston  in  1880,  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  the  position  of  organist  in  the  South  Congregational  church, 
and  afterward  became  instructor  in  harmony  and  composition  in  the  New 
England  Conservatorj'.  He  is  now  organist  of  the  Park  Street  church, 
and  devotes  his  time  to  teaching,  composing  and  conducting,  giving  his 
best  energies  to  the  two  latter  branches.  He  is  a  good  organist  and  an 
excellent  conductor,  but  it  is  as  a  composer  that  his  work  deserves  especial 
mention. 

Mr.   Chadwick' s   principal   works   are   as   follows:      Choral:       The 

Viking's  Last  Voyage,  baritone  solo,  male  chorus  and  orchestra,  188 1; 
Dedication  Ode,  solo,  chorus  and  orchestra,  1884.  Orchestral:  Overture  to 
Rip  Van  Winkle,  Leipzig,  1879;  Symphony  No.    i   in  C,   Boston,    1882; 

Thalia,  overture.    1883;  Andante  for  string  orchestra,   1884;  Symphony  • 

696 


No.  2  in  B,  1885;  Melpomene  overture,  1887;  Miller's  Daughter,  concert 
overture,  San  Francisco,  1888;  chamber  music:  trio  in  C  minor,  Leipzig, 
1877;  string  quartette  in  G  minor,  Leipzig,  1878;  ditto  in  C  major, 
Leipzig,  1879;  ditto  in  D,  Boston,  1888;  quartette  in  E  for  piano  and 
strings,  Boston,  1888;  besides  a  number  of  songs  and  other  vocal  music. 
His  greatest  work,  the  sj^mphony  in  C,  was  begun  while  he  was  at 
Munich,  and  finished  after  his  return  home.  It  was  performed  from 
manuscript  at  the  Harvard  Musical  Association  symphony  concerts  in 
1882.  The  overture  to  Rip  Van  Winkle,  which  was  written  at  Leipzig, 
and  performed  there  in  1879,  was  given  also  at  the  Handel  and  Haydn 
festival  in  May,  1880. 

Edward  Alexander  MacDowell. 

This  eminent  pianist  and  composer  is  a  native  American,  and  was 
bom  in  New  York,  Dec.  18,  1861.  He  was  a  pupil  of  J.  Bentrage,  P. 
Desvernine  and  Mme.  Carreiio.  When  he  was  fifteen  his  musical  ability 
was  so  evident  that  it  was  deemed  well  to  send  him  to  Europe.  He  spent 
three  j^ears  in  Paris,  studying  the  piano  with  Marmontel  and  Savard,  and 
in  1879  went  to  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  where  he  had  for  his  master  in 
composition,  Joachim  Raff",  and  in  piano  playing,  Carl  Heymann.  So 
well  did  he  employ  his  time  that  after  two  years'  close  application  he  was 
offered  and  accepted  the  post  of  first  teacher  of  the  piano  in  the 
Darmstadt  Conservatory,  where  he  remained  for  a  year,  and  then  removed 
to  Wiesbaden  to  take  a  similar  position.  In  1888  he  returned  to  America, 
and  is  at  present  living  in  Boston.  He  is  a  fine  composer,  representing 
the  simplest  and  best  side  of  the  American  school.  His  works  have  a 
certain  power,  but  their  marked  feature  is  a  quiet,  serious  beauty,  some- 
thing like  that  of  Longfellow's  or  Whittier's  poetry,  a  qualitj'-  not 
abundant  in  native  American  music.  Mr.  MacDowell  has  played  some  ot 
his  compositions  at  his  concerts,  both  here  and  in  Europe,  and  always 
with  distinguished  success.  He  gave  his  first  Modern  Suite  at  the  Zurich 
Musical  Festival  in  1882.  Among  his  compositions  are  Roland  Symphony , 
for  orchestra  (Op.  30),  1887  ;  four  orchestral  poems  :  Ha7nlet,  1883  ; 
Ophelia,  1885  ;  Lancelot  and  Elaine  (Op.  25),  1886  ;  Lamia  (Op.  29), 
1887  ;  first  piano  concerto  in  D  minor  (Op.  15),  1882  ;  second  concerto  in 
E  minor,  given  at  New  York,  March  6,  1889  ;  romanza  for  'cello  and 
orchestra  (Op.  34),  1883  ;  first  Suite  Modcriie,  piano  (Op.  10),  1881  ; 
second  ditto  (Op.  23),  1886  ;  prelude  and  fugue  for  piano  (Op.  13),  1881; 
Waldidyllen,  piano  (Op.  19),  1884  ;  and  a  number  of  other  songs  and 
miscellaneous  pieces. 

697 


Frederic  Grant  Cleason. 

Among  those  native  Americans  who  have  developed  the  real  artistic 
faculty  in  the  field  of  composition,  and  one  who  has  become  known  also  as 
an  accomplished  and  conscientious  critic,  is  Frederic  Grant  Gleason,  who 
was  bom  Dec.  17,  1848,  at  Middletown,  Conn.  The  gift  of  music  was  to 
him  an  inheritance,  his  father  having  been  a  finished  amateur  flutist,  and 
his  mother  an  accomplished  pianist  and  contralto  singer.  His  parents 
removed  to  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  became  a  member  of  the  church 
choir,  and  soon  evinced  an  ardent  desire  for  music  as  a  profession.  Having 
been  designed  by  his  father  for  the  ministrj-,  however,  his  musical  tenden- 
cies at  first  received  scant  encouragement.  He,  however,  persevered 
tenaciously,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  the  field  of  composition  by 
the  production  of  an  oratorio,  The  Captivity,  on  a  poem  of  Goldsmith, 
which  he  abandoned  before  complete  for  a  Christmas  Oratorio,  the  words 
selected  from  Lupton  and  Montgomery's  version  of  the  Psalms.  Notwith- 
standing his  lack  of  acquaintance  with  harmony  and  composition  these 
works  evinced  so  undoubted  a  faculty  of  musical  talent  that  opposition  to 
his  art  ambition  was  withdrawn,  and  his  father  decided  to  give  him  a 
liberal  musical  education.  Accordingly  he  was  placed  for  some  time  under 
the  care  of  Dudley  Buck,  then  living  in  Hartford,  with  whom  he  studied 
piano  and  composition,  and  subsequently,  in  1869,  was  sent  to  the  conser- 
vatory of  Leipzig,  Germany.  Here  he  received  instruction  on  the  piano  by 
Moscheles  and  Papperitz;  in  harmony  bj^  Richter  and  Dr.  Oscar  Paul.  He 
supplemented  his  course  by  private  lessons  from  Plaidy,  and  in  composi- 
tion from  J.  C.  Lobe.  On  the  death  of  Moscheles  in  1870  he  removed 
to  Berlin,  where  his  piano  studies  were  continued  under  direction  of  Oscar 
Raif,  a  pupil  of  Tausig,  and  his  theoretical  education  completed  under  the 
renowned  Carl  Freiderich  Weitzmann,  a  pupil  of  Spohr  and  Hauptmann, 
who  was  later,  up  to  the  time  of  his  retirement  from  musical  activity,  court 
musician  to  the  Empress  of  Russia.  In  (?)  Mr.  Gleason  returned  home  on 
a  visit  to  his  parents,  and  soon  after  went  to  London  for  the  purpose  of  stud}'- 
ing  English  music,  having  at  the  same  time  the  advantage  of  piano  study 
with  Oscar  Berringer,  another  eminent  pupil  of  Carl  Tausig.  In  (?)  he 
again  went  to  Berlin,  where  he  resumed  his  study  of  theorj^  under  Weitz- 
manUj  and  also  taking  instruction  on  the  piano  from  Prof  Loeschorn,  and 
on  the  organ  from  Prof  August  Haupt.  During  his  stay  in  Berlin  on  this 
occasion  he  prepared  his  work  on  Gleason' s  Motet  Collection,  published  by 
W.  A.  Pond  &  Co. ,  of  New  York.  His  aim  throughout  had  been  to  secure 
thoroughness  in  his  equipment  for  a  life  of  musical  activity,  and  during 
these  five  >-ears  of  instruction  under  the  best  European  masters  he  was  an 
ardent  and  conscientious  student,  improving  his  opportunities  with  unre- 

69S 


c^/i-i^f^^^^^       b^Vi.,a-u<./^^"X^ii^«a,.-«£<:''*c^ 


699 


mitting  zeal  and  industn\  On  completing  his  studies  he  returned  to  his 
family  home  at  Hartford,  where  he  became  organist  in  one  of  the  churches, 
and  later  of  a  church  at  New  Britain,  Conn.  He  also  engaged  successfulh" 
in  teaching,  and  at  the  same  time  was  active,  as  he  has  ever  since  been,  and 
continues  to  be,  in  his  favorite  field  of  composition,  about  that  time 
completing  his  opera,  Otho  Visconti,  a  three-act  grand  romantic  opera, 
selections  from  which  have  been  published  by  W.  A.  Pond  &  Co. ,  of  New 
York.  In  1876  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  since  been  active  in 
musical  life,  as  teacher,  composer  and  critic,  having  for  a  number  of  years 
ably  filled  the  position  of  musical  editor  on  the  Daily  Tribune. 

Mr.  Gleason's  works,  in  addition  to  numerous  small  pieces,  pub- 
lished and  unpublished,  but  having  no  opus  number,  are  in  order  as 
follows:  I.  Songs  for  soprano  voice;  2.  Organ  sonata  (C  sharp  minor) ^ 
3.  Barcarola,  for  piano;  4.  Episcopal  church  music;  5.  Songs  for  alto 
voice;  6.  Episcopal  church  music;  7.  Otho  Visconti,  grand  romantic  opera, 
music  and  libretto;  8.  PF.  pieces;  9.  Trio  No.  i  in  C  minor  for  piano, 
violin  and  violoncello;  10.  Quartettes  for  female  voices;  11.  Overture 
Triumphale,  organ;  11.  God,  Our  Delivei-er,  cantata,  solos,  chorus  and 
orchestra;  13.  Trio  No.  2  in  A  major,  piano,  violin  and  violoncello;  14. 
Culprit  Fay,  cantata  (words  by  Jos.  Rodman  Drake),  solos,  chorus  and 
orchestra;  15.  Trio  No.  3  in  D  minor,  for  piano,  violin  and  violoncello;  16. 
Montezuma,  grand  romantic  opera  in  three  acts,  plot,  text  and  music;  17. 
Praise  Song  to  Harmony,  symphonic  cantata  solos,  male  chorus  and 
orchestra;  18.  Concerto  in  G  minor,  piano  and  orchestra;  19.  Three 
sketches,  orchestra;  20.  Auditorium  Festival  Ode,  a  sj'mphonic  cantata, 
solo,  chorus  and  orchestra,  composed  for  the  dedication  of  the  Audito- 
rium, Chicago. 

Prof.  James  C.  D.  Parker. 

This  eminent  teacher,  composer  and  executant  was  born  in  Boston  in 
1828,  and  graduated  from  Harv^ard  College  in  1848.  He  entered  upon 
the  stud}'-  of  the  law,  and  gave  promise  of  a  successful  career,  but  nature 
had  endowed  him  with  a  genius  which,  happih-  for  American  musical  life, 
was  to  control  and  guide  his  future  career.  Yielding  to  its  direction,  he 
went  to  Europe,  and  for  three  years  had  the  benefit  of  the  advice  and 
instruction  of  such  masters  as  Moscheles,  Hauptmann,  Richter,  Rietz, 
Plaidy  and  Becker.  After  graduating  from  the  Leipzig  Conservator}',  he 
returned  to  Boston  in  1854,  and  entered  upon  a  career  of  success  and  use- 
fulness as  teacher.  Among  those  whom  he  equipped  for  musical  life  may 
be  mentioned  such  prominent  teachers  and  artists  as  A.  D.  Turner,  F.  H. 
Lewis,  J.  A.  Preston,  \l.  H.  Dunham,  A.  \V.  Swan,  Charles  H.  Whittier, 

700 


J.  H.  Howe,  F.  F.  Lincoln  and  Charles  H.  Morse.  Outside  this  im- 
portant sphere  of  nnisical  usefulness,  he  holds  high  rank  as  composer, 
instrumentalist  and  leader.  He  organized  and  conducted  the  Parker  Club 
of  Boston,  a  chorus  of  fifty  voices,  whose  concerts,  for  some  ten  years,  held 
high  rank  in  the  esteem  of  the  cultured  and  critical  circles  of  Boston,  as 
well  as  in  public  popularity.  As  an  executant,  Mr.  Parker  possesses  a 
lare  skill.  He  has  been  organist  of  Trinity  Episcopal  church,  Boston,  for 
over  twenty  j-ears,  and  has  elicited  warm  praise  in  many  important  Har- 
vard Symphou}'  Concerts,  by  his  admirable  manipulation  of  the  capabilities 
of  the  piano,  as  well  as  artistic  interpretation  of  the  highest  classical  com- 
positions. As  composer,  he  has  written  many  piano  pieces,  part  songs 
and  orchestral  works,  and  also  church  compositions  —  the  latter  chiefly  for 
the  Episcopal  church.  His  Redemption  Hymn,  first  rendered  by  the 
Boston  Handel  and  Haydn  Society,  in  1877,  with  Anne  Xouise  Cary  as 
soloist,  has  become  a  national  property,  and  is  held  in  universal  favor. 
Mr.  Parker  has  long  been  connected  with  the  New  England  ConserA^atory 
of  ]\Iusic,  in  which  he  is  one  of  the  most  valued  instructors,  and  his 
admirable  skill  and  ability  as  a  teacher  have  thus,  transmitted  through 
his  pupils,  left  a  broad  impress  upon  the  upward  course  of  musical  culti- 
vation throughout  the  entire  countr}'.  In  addition  to  achievements  in 
these  diversified  fields  of  labor,  he  is  also  a  ripe  scholar  and  a  sound 
musical  theorist.  His  Mamtal  of  Harmony  has  been  ' '  pronoimced  by 
competent  critics, ' '  says  the  Musical  Herald,  ' '  the  most  concise  and 
valuable  text  book  for  that  study  published. ' '  His  translation  of  Rich- 
ter's  Harmony  is  also  a  scholarl}^  and  finished  work.  During  the  many 
years  in  which  he  has  been  engaged  in  these  various  departments  of 
musical  interest  and  activitj^,  Mr.  Parker's  labors  and  industry'  have  been 
unremitting,  and  in  their  cumulative  results,  so  far  as  appreciation  in  the 
most  refined  and  cultured  circles  of  the  art  is  concerned,  he  is  cheerfuUj- 
awarded  a  reputation  which  is  to  him  the  best  and  highest  reward  of  the 
work  to  which  his  life  has  been  devoted. 


702 


Supplementary  Dictionary  of  American  Musicians. 


NOTE. — In  order  to  econocnize  space,  the  foUowiag  abbrevia.ions  are  used :  b. 
bom;  «.,  educated;  c,  composer;  r.,  resides;  o  ,  orgaa,  or  orgaaist;  ;;.,  pianist;  the. 
theory'. 


Aardp,  Miss  Ceia  Augusta  Juliette,  6,  Co- 
penhagen, Denmark,  Ans.  'iT,  ISIH;  teacher  of 
pianoforte  in  Alt'tnipdlitan  Conservatory,  New 
York;  e.  in  Copenlianfii  and  Paris. 

Aiken,  Henry  .^l..  Huston;  bass  sinser,  for- 
merly distinsuislietl  in  oratorio,  havinR  Biing  with 
Jolin  Hrahain  in  1842,  Sontag,  and  for  fourteen 
years  the  solo  parts  with  the  Handel  and  Haydn 
Society;  bass  in  Trinity  cliurch  since  1844,  except 
two  years'  absence  in  Europe;  b.  about  18i4. 

Aiken,  Charles,  b.  Goffstown,  N.  H.,  aiarch 
13,  1818;  e.  Darmouth;  settled  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  in 
181!l,  as  teacher  of  Music  in  public  school,  a  posi- 
tion held  for  many  years:  c.  school  singing  books, 
etc.;  d.  Oct.  4,  1882. 

AiRHART.  Daniel  B.,  6,  Tennessee,  Sept.  10. 
1819;  e.  under  Sliowalter,  Dennington,  etc.;  c. 
singing  school  music,  The  Soiuj  Gem,  r.  McDale, 
Texas. 

Allen,  Henry  Ajibrose:  b.  Hull,  Yorkshire, 
England,  Dec.  1(1  IHlti,  r.  Baltimore.  Md.  Prof, 
of  violin,  piano,  organ  and  liarmony  at  J. 
Peabody's  Conservatory  of  Music,  studied  with 
B.  Cramer,  Moscheles,  De  Beriot,etc.:c.  music  for 
thirteen  melodramas:  was  loader  of  orchestra  at 
Walnut  St.  tlipatre,  Philadi'lphia. 

Allsn,  Beniamin  Dwioht,  b.  Sturnbridge, 
Mass  ,  Feb.  l(i.  1S31;  e.  under  R.  8.  Stanbridge, 
H.  C.  Timm,  Otto  Dresel,  Gustav  Sattero; ;-. 
Wo.cest -r.  Mass.;  or  Union  church  thirty-four 
year.'-;  o.  and /J.  VVorce.st'r  festivals  tliirty  years; 
teacuer  of  p.  o.  and  tlio.  sacral  contata  for  solo 
and  chorus,  pianoforte  compositions,  etc.;one 
of  the  most  us:,'fid  musicians  in  New  England. 

Ambrose.  .John  L.,  b.  Sandwich,  N.  H„  1844, 
basso  profundo;  studied  the  violin  at  the  age  of; 
seven;  organist  at  the  Baptist  church  in  Sand- 
wich from  the  age  of  eleven  to  twenty  one;  organ- 
ist in  East  Cambridge  from  1865  to  18T1;  having 
a  rotund  basso  voice,  after  studying  with  J.  F. 
liudolplisen,  became  connected  with  various 
quartette  choirs  in  Boston,  being  engaged  at 
Tremont  Temple,  Warren  av.  Baptist  church. 
Haggles  .St.  Baptist  cluirch,  and  in  188!"  is  the 
leading  basso  in  the  choir  of  Harvard  Baptist 
church.  He  has  comnosed  church  music  andjias 
prepared  a  book  of  .\fale  Quartettes  for  the 
work  of  the  masonic  lodge. 

Ambrose,  Mary,  b.  Polo,  111.,  June  6, 18B5. 
teaclier  of  organ  and  piano;  r.  Nevada,  la. 

Andrus,  Aones.  b.  Washington.  Mich.,  e.  J. 
H.  Hahn;  teacher  of  piano  in  Detroit  Conserva- 
tory of  music. 

.\rnold,  John  C,  />.  Dec.  22.  1852,  in  Municli, 
Germany,  graduate  of  Royal  Conservatory.  1871; 
came  to  America  same  year;  since  lHti8  )-.  Wa.sh- 
ingtcm.  Pa.;  teacher  of  music  in  public  scliools. 
violin,  harmony,  etc.;  thorough  mnsician  an(i 
nsefnl  teacher;  composes  for  orchestra,  military 
bands,  etc. 


Armstbono.  William  D.,  6.  Alton,  111.,  Feb. 
11,  1868;  r.  Alton;  <.  piano-forte;  flaent  writer  of 
piano-forte  music;  e.  under  E.  R.  Kroeger,  of 
St.  Louis. 

Arkell,  Lillian,  b.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  1864;  i: 
Cincinnati;  e.  College  of  Music;  organist  and 
teacher  of  organ;  concert  organist. 

B.\CH,  J.  Maurice,  b.  Saunen,  Switzerland, 
May  T,  18.")6;  c.  at  Stern's  conservatory,  Berlin, 
studying  under  Vogt  and  Ehrlich,  and  Hei<lel :  /■. 
Henderson,  Ky.,  where  he  is  active  as  tvacher  of 
piano,  organ  and  theory;  is  a  good  p  -rformer  and 
has  composed  much  music,  including  four 
operas,  Laredo,  Manjuerita,  Alhainer  and  Tlie 
Politicians. 

Bach,  Henrietta  Stolz.  wife  of  preceding;  e. 
Chicago  -Musical  College;  dramatic  reader  and 
soprano  singer. 

Bachman,  a.,  b.  Germany,  Jan.'-,  1836; e.  under 
private  instructors:  lias  been  resident  in  Pnila- 
delphia  for  many  years,  where  he  occupies  a  use- 
ful and  hcmorable  position  an  organist,  t  -acher 
of  piano  and  musical  tlieory,  etc.;  is  author  of 
considerable  church  music;  among  his  pupils  arc 
hundreds  wlio  now  occupy  or  have  occupied 
positions  as  teachers  and  organists. 

B.\iR.  5Ihs.  Ella  G.  Winseck,  b.  Lr)well, 
Mass.,  Oct,  'M,  1855.  ^.under  Mme.  Emma  Seller, 
of  Philadelphia.  Teacher  of  vocal.  r.  in 
Marion,  Ohio. 

Ball,  A.  H.,  b.  Aug.  14,  1850;  e.  Oxford  Uni- 
versity; music  dealer  at  Meridian,  Miss. 

B.vll,  Mrs.  Ida  W.,  b.  Dallas  Co.,  Ala.,  1851; 
e.  at  J udson  Female  institute,  Marion,  Ala.;  also 
studied  with  many  other  teachers;  ha.s  compose<l 
many  things,  both  vocal  and  instrumental ;  is 
also  a  pianist,  and  ranks  among  the  first  in  the 
South. 

Baluwin,  Edwin  Thomas,  b.  New  Ipswich,  N. 
H..  July  lit,  1832;  e.  Boston,  with  Geo.  Jas.  Webb; 
r.  Manchester,  N.  H.;  composer  of  band  music 
and  sacred  quartettes;  t.  piano  and  organ:  presi- 
dent of  State  Association. 

Ballenberg,  Locis  51.,  b.  Frankfort-on-t he- 
Main,  July  -2,  1840:  e.  with  Euler,  the  celebratt-il 
flute  maker,  and  Koppito.  of  Boston.  Soon  after 
coming  to  America  Mr.  Ballenberg  traveled  as 
an  orcliestral  plajer  with  various  organizations, 
and  in  18V2.  in  connection  with  Mr.  Geo.  Bntnd, 
organized  the  Cincinnati  grand  orchestra.  Mr. 
Geo.  Bran<l  returned  to  Boston,  and  his  brother, 
Michael  Brand,  took  his  place  as  conductor, 
which  ho  lias  retained  ever  since.  The  orchestra 
has  continued  to  do  a  .successful  business  of 
symphony  concerts  an<l  popular  orchestra  mati- 
nees ever  since.  Its  Sunday  concerts  in  Music 
Hall  are  well  patronized,  and  a  high  class  of 
music  is  presente<l.  Mr.  Ballenberg  has  retained 
the  basiness  management,  and  to  hia  care  and 


703 


gooiliudgment  in  this  department  much  of  its 
success  is  to  bo  accredited. 

Babtlett,  Homeu  Newton,  b.  Olivo.  N.  Y., 
Dec.  28,  18)ti :  c.  in  Now  York  city,  where  he  re- 
sides. i)rincipally  occupied  as  composer  of  a  Rreat 
variety  of  works  for  voice,  chamber  instruments, 
grand  orchestra,  and  a  comic  opera,  L<i  VdUiera. 

Barnard,  Rev  .John.  h.  Bristol,  Mass.,  16f)l: 
d.  1770;  pastor  at  Marblehead;  wrote  fine  versifi- 
cation of  Psalms. 

Batchel,der,  John  C,  h.  Topsham.  Vt..  in 
185'2:  f.  Berlin;  teacher  of  piano  and  organ;  r. 
Detroit,  Mich. 

Bayley,  Daniel,  h.  Rowley,  Mass.,  1730, 
Taught  music  in  Newburyport,  Mass.,  and  in  1704 
began  music  publication,   giving   his    first   ira- 

Sortant  works  to  American  students  of  art. 
lied  1792. 

Beach.  Miss  Helen  L.,  h.  Toledo,  Ohio.  e. 
College  of  JIusic  of  Cincinnati.  Teacher  of 
organ. 

Becker,  Rev.  Chas.  6.  at  Boele,  in  Westphalia, 
Aug.  8,  iS.il;  e.  in  theology  and  music;  r.  at  St. 
Francis,  Wis.,  where  he  is  director  of  the  choir 
of  the  theological  seminary.  Father  Becker  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  American  Society  of 
St.  Caecilia,  and  a  frequent  contributor  to  its  pe- 
riodical literature. 

Beethoven  Conservatory  of  Music,St.  Louis.Mo. 
August  Waldauer  and  Marcus  1.  Epstein,  Direct- 
ors. The  leading  Music  College  at  St.  Louis,  the 
now  celebrated  Beethoven  Conservatory,  was  es- 
tablished in  1871.  Many  of  the  graduates  from 
this  School  are  members  of  Church  Choirs,  oth- 
ers belong  to,  or  are  leaders  of  Orchestras;  some 
are  recognized  as  Artists  both  Amateur  and  Pro- 
ifessional.  Many  others  have  won  renown  on  the 
operatic  stage,  andas  soloists,  whileall  its  pupils 
show  tlie  great  possible  advance,  under  the  guid- 
ance of  teachers  of  superior  qualifications  as 
educators,  some  of  whom  have  acquired  a  na- 
tional reputation.    See  also  August  Waldauer. 

Bethine.  Thomas  Green,  (Blind  Tom),  b. 
May  •i'l.  Ht9,  near  Columbus.  Ga.  Blind  from 
birth.  Was  born  a  slave.  At  the  age  of  five  was 
familiar  with  the  piano.  He  made  his  first  pub- 
lic appearance  in  18.58.  Has  made  successful 
tours  of  Unit^'d  States  and  Europe. 

Bedteh,  Albert,  h.  in  Tuscarawas  C,  O.,  Jan. 
0,  18J4:  married  in  18li8;  studied  witli  Wm.  Mason, 
and  singing  with  Geo.  J.  Webb;  t.  piano,  organ 
and  singing;  r.  Bloomington,  111.,  where  he  oc- 
cupies a  prominent  position;  is  author  of  a  num- 
ber of  piano  pieces. 

BisLAND  Maroahet  Cvrilla.  h.  Brooklyn,  N. 
Y..  Sei)t.  30,  18:!9;  e.  under  Pychowski,  pupil  of 
Chopin;  pianist  and  composer  of  piano  music; 
r.  at  New  Orleans,  where  she  is  instructor  of 
music  in  the  public  schools.  Sec.  of  Musicians' 
Guild,  and  a  literary  contributor  of  stories  and 
graceful  miacellany  to  the  Times  and  other  jour- 
nals. 

Blache,  Madajie  Pauline,  b.  Marseilles, 
France;  r.  New  Orleans.  Is  of  an  old  French 
family,  numbering  among  her  friends  many  of 
the  literary  and  musical  people  in  France,  inclu- 
ding .\lexander  Dumas,  e.  by  her  aunt,  the  Barou- 
ess  Chonrand,  as  pianist.  After  becoming  a  tine 
player,  she  was  discovered  to  have  a  superior 
voice,  which  was  trained  by  Madame  Cambier. 
She  married  a  wealthy  Louisiana  gentleman 
named  Gustave  Blache.  Madame  Blache  was 
beset  ui)on  every  Bide  to  go  upon  tlie  stage,  but 
steadfastly  declined,  .\fter  the  death  of  her  bus- 
band.  she"devote<l  herself  to  teaching  vocal  mu- 
sic, in  which  work  she  has  been  extremely  suc- 
cessful.   She  has  a  beautiful  voice  and  an  artistic 


disposition,  and  her  pupils  are  among  the  most 
accomplished  of  the  Soiith. 

Blanpiei),  D.  S.,  ''.  Galena,  Ohio,  Oct.  let, 
1852;  e.  at  New  England  Conservatory  and  Boston 
University  of  Music;  t.  vocal  and  instrumental; 
r.  Montpelier,  Vt. 

Bloom,  Jacob,  6.  May;  6th,  1844,  in  Klndenheim, 
Germany;  r.  Cincinnati,  O.;  cat  Stuttgart  Con- 
versatory  from  which  he  graduated  in  180(5.  For 
several  years  has  been  teacher  of  the  violin  at 
Miss  Baur's  Conservatory.  He  has  instructed 
many  talented  pupils  who  have  become,  in  their 
turn,  superior  artists.  He  is  a  solo  violinist  and 
an  earnest  teacher.  Has  also  distinguished  him- 
self as  !i  quartette  player  and  in  orchestral  work. 

Blve,  Miss  Birdie,  b.  about  1867;  r.  Kentland 
Indiana;  e.  in  London,  Paris  and  New  York,  as 
pianist.  A  brilliant  player,  of  sympathetic  touch 
and  style,  and  a  large  repertoire. 

BoBST,  Albert  Wm.,  b.  Liverpool,  Eng..  July 
32,  1841;  e.  Baumgarten  and  Farmer;  graduated  in 
Zurich,  Switzerland;  composer  of  pianoforteand 
church  music,  and  an  operata,  ilrs.  Speaker; 
was  organist  in  Liverpool  in  1806;  came  to  Phil- 
adelphia in  1886,  where  he  now  lives. 

BoswoBTH,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  b.  Cincinnati.  O., 
April  19,  1847:  daughter  of  the  distinguished 
teacher,  Mr.  Charles  Aiken;  e.  in  Cincinnati; 
married  in  1871;  r.  at  Great  Bend,  Kansas;  t.  of 
piano. 

BouRicius,  Mabinus  Bodinus  Lotns.  b.  lathe 
Netherlands,  Aug.  25,  1860;  e.  at  Academie  of  Mu- 
sic Den  Helder,  under  F.  de  Boer;  teacher  of 
piano,  harmony  and  theory;  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1885,  and  has  resided  in  Council  Bluffs 
ever  since. 

BnisTow,  Frank  L.,  b.  Jacksonville,  111..  April 
25,  1844;  e.  there  under  Strachauer  and  Wimmer- 
stedt;  r.  Covington,  Ky.,  where  he  is  superin- 
tendent of  music  in  public  schools.  Mr.  Bristow 
has  been  secretary  of  the  State  Teachers"  Associa- 
tion and  president  of  the  same:  has  taught  in- 
strumental and  vocal  music  in  most  of  the  south- 
ern states;  has  resided  in  Covington  for  twenty 
years;  is  author  of  several  collections  of  .singing 
books  for  classes,  and  two  cantatas  for  ladies 
voices,  Hainboii-  and  Pleiads,  as  well  as  other 
compositions  for  chorus. 

Bromheld,  Edward,  Jr.,  /'.  Boston,  172^;  d., 
1800:  graduate  Harvard  ('oUege.  1742;  constructed 
the  first  organ  ever  built  in  America. 

Bbyant,  Gilmore,  W.,  b.  Bethel,  Vt.,  .-^ug.  8, 
18.59;  e.  with  Petersilea  in  Boston;  c.  Staunton, 
Va..  where  he  conducts  the  music  department  in 
tlie  Wesleyan  Female  Institute;  is  authf)r  of  many 
conniositions  for  piano,  including  forty-three 
studies. 

Bryant,  Mrs.  G.  W.,  wife  of  prece<ling,  h. 
Bethel,  Vt.,  April  7,  1801 ;  e.  at  Springfield.  Mass. 
under  Prof.  Zuchtmann;  (■  of  voice,  and  is  a 
church  and  concert  singer:  r.  Staunton. ya.,where 
she  conducts  the  musical  department  in  the  fe- 
male college. 

Burmeisteb.  Richard,  b.  December  7th,  1860. 
in  Hamburg,  Germany;  r.  Baltimore,  Md.  Mr. 
Burmeister  after  a  thorough  education  in  music 
at  some  of  the  best  Conservatories  in  Germany, 
sjient  three  years  with  Liszt  at  Weimar,  devoting 
himself  to  piano-forte  and  composition.  He  is  the 
author  of  a  Concerto  in  D  Minor,  for  the  piano 
with  orchestra,  and  of  many  smaller  pieces.  Is 
now  teacher  of  the  piano  in  the  Peabody  Insti- 
tute. His  Concerto  has  been  played  in  Berlin, 
Leipsic.  Dresden  and  other  European  cities,  and 
he  made  a  good  record  as  a  concert  player  in, 
Germany. 


704 


Bdrr,  Willahd,  Jr.,  b.  Itavenna,  Oliio,  Jan. 
7th,  185-^;  e.  Berlin  with  Haupt;  r.  Boston.  Slass. 
Composer  of  much  chamlier  music,  numerous 
piano  pieces,  etc.  Was  intiueutial  in  establish- 
ing the  concerts  of  American  composers  in  the 
M.  T.  N.  A. 

BuRRiTT,  William  Nelson,  b.  Nov.  18th,  1833, 
in,  Albion,  Mich.;  )-.  St.  Paul,  Niun.;  /.  of  voice 
culture;  e.  under  Vannucciui,  Vaunini  and  (ieo. 
Henscliel.  Mr  Burritt  makes  a  specialt.v  of  the 
old  Italian  method  of  singing,  believing  that  a 
system  of  education  which  lias  produced  .luch  re- 
markable results  in  the  past,  must  still  be  the 
best  that  can  be  used. 

C.\RY,  Mrs.  Ckceli.\,  S.  P.;  e.  under  private 
instructors;  r.  Rochester,  N.  Y.;  teacher  of  piano 
and  singing.  Mrs.  Cary  has  been  highly  success- 
ful in  a  wide  range  of  work.  For  some  years  she 
had  charge  of  the  Music  Department  of  the 
University  at  Le  Koy  as  a  teacher  of  piano.  She 
is  an  accomplished  pianist  and  has  in  connection 
■with  her  school,  many  recitals  by  great  artists. 
Mrs.  Cary  is  one  of  the  most  prominent  musical 
educators  of  Western  New  York. 

Carter,  Charle-<  Davis,  6.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
April  2.1th,  1857; e.  Jjeipsic  and  Munich;  r.  Pitts- 
burg, I'enn.;  has  composed  some  songs  for  chorus 
and  solo;  director  of  Pittsburg  Female  College. 

Cari'E,  Adolph,  b.  Prussia,  1847;  e,  Leipsic; 
pianist;  r.  Cincinnati. 

Campbell,  John  B.,  b.  Bloomington,  Ind., 
March  11th,  18">6;  c.  Boston,  New  England  Con- 
servatory; composed  many  songs  and  choruses. 

Chanoe,  Jacob  Melville,  b.  Salem,  HI..  March 
9th,  18.58;  e.  New  England  Conservatory  of 
Music;  teacher  of  piano  and  organ;  is  at  the  head 
of  a  school  in  Sedalia,  Mo. 

Chandler,  Kate  H.,  b.  Boston,  1830;  c.  Phila- 
delphia; was  for  years  a  concert  and  church  singer 
but  now  has  a  school  for  music  in  Philadelpiiia. 

Chase,  Mrs.  S.  P.,  b.  Kandolph,  Vt.,  1843;  e.  at 
Music  Vale  Seminary  and  in  Boston;  plays  piano, 
violin,  guitar,  mandoline,  banjo,  and  is  also 
teacher  of  voice  and  liarmon> ;  r.  Emporia,  Kan. 
Mrs.  Chase  is  a  natural  musician  who  has  dili- 
gently cultivated  her  tiilents. 

Chase,  Melville  Warren,  b.  Minot,  Me., 
Feb.  18th,  1S1.J;  e.  under  Schultz  and  others;  r. 
Hillsdale,  Mich. 

Cheney,  Abby  Perkins,  b.  Milwaukee,  Wis.;e. 
Stuttgait  and  Leipsic;  teacher  of  piano  at  San 
Francisco. 

Church,  Lilly  Reoina,  A.  Tarrytown,  N.  Y., 
Oct.  ■^lll\.  18li3;  e.  at  the  College  of  Music  at  Cin- 
cinnati; teacher  of  piano  and  theory;  r.  Parkers- 
burg,  West  Va. 

Clark.AnnaSteinioer,?).  Magdeburg,  Prussia. 
This  accomplished  pianist  is  a  pupil  of  Deppe, 
and  a  classmate  of  Miss  Amy  Fay.  In  ISSJ  she 
married  Frederic  Clark  of  Boston,  an  accomp- 
lished mu-'ician  and  teacher  ami  the  discoverer  of 
many  important  educational  principles.  The  two 
together  carry  on  a  music  school  at  Cambridge, 
Mass.  Mrs.  Steiniger-Clark  has  i)la,ved  in  con- 
certs extensively  Ihnnigliout  this  Country  and  in 
Europe,  and  being  si  ill  young  is  likely  to  be  heard 
much  more  in  the  future.  Theirpublic  work  at  the 
present  time,  consists  mainly  of  educational 
recitals  in  literary  Institutions,  and  private  reci- 
tals before  audiences  of  from  one  to  four  persons, 
for  educational  purposes.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  very 
graceful,  intelligent  and  artistic  pianist.  His 
work  has  been  highly  praised  by  the  most  careful 
critics  in  Boston  and  in  other  parts  of  the  World. 

Clarke,  Edwin  G.,  son  of  Wm.  Horatio  Clarke; 
6.  Woburn,  Mass.,  1863;  violinist  and  orchestral 


conductor;  director  of  music  at  Jtob's  Theatre 
Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Clarke,  Ernest  H.,  son  of  William  Horatio 
Clarke;  6.  Boston,  Mass.,  l?6o;  trombone  soloi.st; 
traveled  witlj  P.  S  Gilmore  in  18^7;  at  present 
connected  with  the  orchestra  of  Jacob's  Theatre, 
Hoboken,  N.  J. 

Clarke,  Herbert  L.,  son  of  Wm.  Horatio 
Clarke,  6.  Woburn,  Mass.,  18B7;  cornet  soloist, and 
teacher  in  the  Toronto  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Toronto,  Canada. 

Clark,  Horace,  b.  Independence,  Texas,  1861; 
e.  at  New  England  C<mservatory;  teacher  of  piano 
also  piano  soloist;  r.  Corpus  Christi,  Texas. 

Clouse,  Rose,  6.  Mound  City,  111.,  July  18th, 
IStw;  e.  Leipsic;  teacher  of  piano;  r.  Toledo, 
Ohio. 

Cook,  ;\Iay  A.,  h.  Michigan,  1870;  e.  Cook's 
Musical  Institute,  Portland,  Oregon;  concert 
pianist;  r.  Portland,  Oregon. 

Cook,  Miss  Nellie,  b.  Sturgis,  Mich.;e.  Leip- 
sic, Frankfort  and  Vienna;  teacher  of  piano  and 
vocal  culture;  r.  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Cooke,  Mrs.  Clemjue,  b.  Iowa,  Sept.  19tli; 
e.  Springfield,  Mo.;  teacher  of  piano,  organ  and 
guitar. 

CooLEY,  Miss  Percie  A.,  b.  Athens,  Ohio, 
June  1  Itli,  IS.iO;  e.  at  the  New  England  Conserva- 
tory in  Boston;  teacher  of  piano  and  organ  ;  r. 
West  Liberty,  Iowa. 

Coleman,  Charles  J.,  b.  Cincinnati,  Sept.  15th, 
1841;  f.  Harvard  College,  and  during  that  time 
was  director  of  the  Glee  Club  and  orchestra.  At 
present  resides  in  Cincinnati  and  is  director  of 
the  Cincinnati  Opera  Club. 

CoLLMAN,  Henry  D.,  b.  Augusta,  Ga.;  e.  under 
J.  ('.  D.  Parker  and  Geo.  E.  Whiting. 

CoLSON,  William  B.,  /;.  Rochester.  N.  Y.,  Jane 
27th,  1841):  teacher  of  piano  and  organ  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

COMSTOCK,  Oscar  Franklin,  6.  Brooklyn,  N . 
Y.,  April  l.itn.  I8()j;e.  under  Geo.  F.  Bristow,  and 
later  at  Leipsic  and  Rome,  having  taken  di- 
jilomas  from  the  former  and  from  the  society  of 
St.  Caecilia  in  the  latter,  is  now  teaclier  in  Cleve- 
land. Ohio. 

Combs,  Gilbert  R.,  r.  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  is  principal  of  the  Broad  Street  Conservatory 
of  Music.  Mr.  Combs  makes  a  specialty  of  em- 
ploying male  teachers  only,  believing  that  they 
are  more  stimulative  to  the  students  than  the 
lady  teachers. 

CoRLETTE,  Joseph  Wm.,  b.  Douglas,  Isle  of  Man, 
Seiit.  2i)th.  18t)(i;  e.  at  Council  Bluffs;  teacher  of 
violin;  r.  Glenwood,  Iowa. 

CowEN,  Fk.  Hn.,  6  Kingston,  Jamaica,  18.52; 
studied  under  Sir  Jules  Beneilict  and  Sir 
John  Goss  at  London,  studied  also  at  Leipsic 
anil  Berlin;  composed  operetta  Garibaldi,  canta- 
tas Rose  Maden  and  the  Corsair,  opera  of  Paoline; 
came  to  America  in  1883. 

Cramer.  Thec,  b.  Christiania,  Norway,  18J8;  e. 
Eilmund  Neupert  and  Ursin:  a  successful 
teacher  of  the  piano  at  Davenport.  la. 

Crauch,  Emma,  b.  Cincinnati,  May  0th,  1844;  c. 
abroaci  and  in  New  York:  concert  singer  and 
vocal  teacher,  in  Cincinnati. 

CbctchI''IELD,  EnOENE  L.,  ').  Petersburg,  Va.. 
July  14,  18(52;  c.  Baltimore,  Md.,  where  he  still 
resides.  For  several  years  he  servwl  as  organist 
and  teacher  of  the  piano,  but  afterward  graduated 
in  meiUcine,  in  which  i>rt>fession  ho  is  now 
mainly  active,  excepting  his  continued  services 
aa  organist  at  leading  Baltimore  churches. 


70S 


Datid,  Virgil  Edwin,  6.  August  5th,  1838, 
West  Troy,  N.  Y.;  r.  Washington,  Iowa;  e.  under 
private  instructoiK;  founder  of  a  music  school  at 
Washington,  Iowa,  in  November,  1887.  This  school 
has  bei'U  highly  successful  and  a  new  building  is 
being  erected  for  it.  Mr.  David  served  with  lionor 
through  tliB  late  war,  and  is  composer  of  many 
compositions  for  the  piano-forte,  voice,  orcheotra 
and  military  band. 

Davies,  Uavid.  h.  Talsarn,  S>uth  Wales,  May 
3.  1855.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  came  to 
Cncinnati,  where  he  was  the  main  support  of  his 
wiuowed  mother.  His  voice  being  recognized  as 
exceptionally  good,  he  returned  to  liis  native  land 
and  was  educated  in  music  under  Dr.  .John  Parry, 
at  Aberystwitli.  He  appeared  in  public  in  Lon- 
don as  an  oratorio  singer  with  sui  cess,  and 
traveled  in  tliis  country  with  a  concert  company 
in  1880.  At  the  close  of  this  engagement  Mr. 
Davies  established  himself  as  teacher  of  singing 
in  Cincinnati. 

Dausz,  Mme.  Mabie,  b.  Dresden,  Saxony, 
April  1,  1845;  educated  under  private  instructors 
in  singing  and  theory.  For  eleven  years,  includ- 
ing 1889,  she  has  been  teaching  voice  cultivation 
in  New  York  City,  where  she  has  a  large  class. 

Dethebidoe,  I.SAAO,  6.  in  Kngland  in  1833, 
edticated  in  vocal  and  military  music,  both  of 
whicli  he  has  taught  since  coming  to  this  country; 
r.  Fame,  Kan. 

DoDOE,  Imoge,  Roselie,  Zelly,  Cecile  Busk, 
fc.  in  Baltimore,  Md.;  e.  by  eminent  teachers  in 
Paris  and  Leipsic.  Upon  her  return  to  America, 
this  charming  singer  enter  upon  a  brilliant  career 
in  concerts;  opera,  and  in  connection  with  the 
Thomas  Concerts.  Her  voice  is  a  pure  soprano, 
verj'  high  and  clear.  Is  now  engaged  in  teaching 
singing  in  Chicago. 

DoTi-,  Alice  L..  b.  Piano,  111.,  Jan.  10,  1862; 
studied  under  Frederick  Grant  Gleason,  and 
passed  the  associate  examination  of  the  American 
College  of  Musicians,  in  1888;  r.  Aurora,  111., 
where  she  is  organist,  teacher  of  piano,  and  har- 
mony, and  concert  pianist.  Miss  Doty  is  one  of 
the  most  thoroughly  qualified  teachers  of  her  age 
in  the  coun.try. 

Ddgan,  J.  M„  b.  Dec.  31,  1851.  at  Franklin, 
Ind.;  studied  with  Robt.  Goldbeck  and  Otto 
Singer;  is  teacher  of  music  in  Franklin  College, 
and  author  of  several  instruction  books  for  piano 
and  organ. 

Kokeb,  .J no.  Emii,,  6.  April  14th,  1853,  in  Upper 
Linz.  Austria.  Mr.  Ecker  was  educated  at  the 
Conservatory,  Leipsic,  Germany,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1886.  He  came  to  this  Country  in 
1857,  and  has  been  engaged  since  in  teaching 
piano,  theory  and  composition.  Is  the  author  of 
a  concert  overture  for  a  full  orchestra,  a  Sonata 
in  A  fiat;  Sonata  in  C  Minor  and  several  String 
Quartettes;  r.  in  Toledo,  Ohio. 

EoKEH,  Aug.  Heemann,  6.  March  17, 1859,  i^^ 
Warsaw,  111.;  r.  Toledo.  Ohio,  since  1873;  e.  by  hi* 
father,  and  is  now  engaged  as  a  teacher  of  piano. 

EOKEB,  Thec,  h.  Sept.  30,  1855,  in  Upper 
Linz,  .Austria,  came  to  this  Country  in  1857;  r.  in 
Toledo.  Ohio,  since  1872;  e.  by  his  father;  teacher 
of  piano, 

Emerson,  Irving,  b.  Nov.  -tth.  1842,  in  Brish- 
ton,  Maine;  r.  Hartford,  Cohn.,  Chorus  Director 
and  Siii)ervi8or  of  Music  in  Public  Schools; 
author  of  a  number  of  anthems,  a  few  songs  and 
pian"  pieces,  and  several  singing  books  for  public 
schools. 

Epstein,  Herman  I.,  6.  April  14th,  1868,  in 
Mobile.  ,\la.  This  brilliant  pianist  whose  two 
older  hrolliers  are  so  celebrated,  was  a  pupil  of 
Oscar  Raif  and  Taubert  in  Berlin,  and  is  now 


engagecl  in  teaching  piano  and  composition  at 
St.  Louis.  He  is  the  author  of  a  considerable 
number  of  quartettes,  songs  and  miscellaneous 
pieces.  His  concert  playing  was  much  praised  in 
Germany,  as  well  as  in  this  country. 

ESTABROOK.  Geo.  P.,  h.  June  21st,  1868,  in 
Concord,  N.  H.  This  young  teacher  was  educat«d 
under  i)rivate  Teachers  at  home  and  in  Chicago, 
and  is  now  engaged  in  teaching  piano,  organ  and 
harmony,  in  Ottawa,  III. 

Evans,  Fbd'o  Shailles,  h.  August  7,  1863, 
in  Haddam,  Conn.;  r.  Cincinnati,  Ohio;e.  Leipsic 
Conservatory,  from  which  he  graduated  in  May, 

1886.  Oc^cupied  as  concf-rt  pianist  and  teacher  of 
piai.o.  Was  pupil  of  Carl  Reinecke  and  Jadas- 
sohn. 

F.\URE,  Miss  Jeanne,  b.  March  3rd,  1865,  New 
Orleans;  r.  New  Orleans,  La.  Miss  Faure  was 
educated  at  the  Dresden  Conservatory,  from  which 
Institution  she  holds  a  diploma,  dated  March  28, 

1887,  with  honors.  Her  voice  is  a  very  beautiful 
one,  large,  full  and  fine  of  quality.  She  sings 
with  intelligence  and  warmth  and  with  much 
dramatic  talent.  The  French  writers  in  the  New 
Orleans  papers  can  scarcely  say  enough  in  her 
praise. 

FooTE.  Anna  C,  b.  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  r.  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  e.  under  Professor  J.  de  Ricqles  and 
Mr.  Henry  G.  Hanchett,  at  Beethoven  Conserva- 
tory of  St.  Louis.    Teacher  of  piano. 

Flinn,  Francis  Mary  Hoi'KINS,  b.  1834,  Can- 
ton, Ohio,  r.  Hannibal,  Mo.  An  organist,  private 
teacher  of  piano  and  voice. 

Fraoker,  Coea  Robins.  6.  Aug.  11th,  1849, 
Iowa  City,  Iowa,  r.  Iowa  (^ity,  Iowa.  Twenty-five 
years  experience  as  a  teacher,  the  guitar  being  her 
principal  instrument,  for  which  she  has  composed 
much  rav)sic,  also  a  considerable  number  of  pieces 
for  the  piano.  Mrs.  Fracker  is  a  natural  musician 
of  unusual  talent. 

Frederick,  Miss  Lily,  b.  1867,  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
e.  at  Pittsburgh  Female  College,  and  after  gradu- 
ation, became  a  member  of  the  faculty.  In  1889, 
organized  a  School  of  ilusic  at  Greensbnrg,  Pa., 
at  which  all  of  the  principal  branches  of  mosio 
are  taught. 

Freligh,  Louis  Henby,  b.  July  1st,  ISJS,  Me- 
chanicsville,  N  Y.,  ?•.  St.  Louis,  Mo.  This  highly 
successful  teacher  of  piano  was  largely  self-edu- 
cated, his  inspiring  methods  being  the  result  of 
his  own  studies  and  reflections,  and  their  value 
cimfirmed  by  the  results  attained  under  them, 
Mr.  Freligh  is  the  author  of  about  50  pleasing 
piano  pieces  and  songs,  and  among  his  pupils  are 
many  who  have  distinguished  themselves. 

Fboehlioh,  Henby  C,  b.  Aug.  6th,  18.57,  Cin- 
cinnati. Ohio.  »•.  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  e.  underPri- 
vate  Teachers.  Solo  Violinist  and  teacher  inCol- 
lege  of  Music.  Concertmei.ster  of  the  Cincinnati 
Orchestra.  First  Violinist  of  the  Philharmonic 
String  Quartette.  One  ot"  the  most  useful  musi- 
cians in  Cincinnati. 

Flude,  Wm.  a.,  6.  1818,  Lutterworth,  England, 
e.  under  private  teachers.  Director  and  teacher 
of  organ.  i>iano.  violin  and  harmony  in  Lennox 
College,  Hopkinton,  Iowa,  for  the  past  twenty-six 
years. 

Gaeblf.r,  Sophie  Charlotte,  6.  Nov.  18, 1862, 
Watertown.  Wis.  r.  Milwaukee,  Wis.  e.  at  the 
Orchestral  School  in  Weimar,  frermany,  and  af- 
terwards witli  Liszt.  Teacher  of  piano  and  sing- 
ing. 

Gebest,  Frank.  6.  October  3,  1864,  Madison, 
Ind;  )-.  Zan"sville.  Ohio.  Active  and  successful 
teacher  of  piano  and  organ. 

Gerold,  Hekman,  /).  August  17,  1&37,  Gera, 
Germany;  r.  Cincinnati  since  1858;  e.  under  prl- 


70f> 


vate  teachers.  Teacher  of  piano,  oraan  and 
voice.  Organist  at  St.  Matthews  Chnrch.  also  at 
Jewish  Temple.  Leader  of  various  singing  so- 
cieties. Connected  with  St  Xavier  (College.  Mr. 
Gerold  is  author  of  several  masses  and  two 
operas,  L<iv.  Veiiitia  and  Princess  Arabvlld. 

GiLBF.BT,  Nathan  Stro.n,  6.  Jan.  '28,  1852, 
Iowa;  r.  Leavenworth,  Ka.s.;  e.  urider  private 
teachers.  Organist  and  teacher  of  piano-  Cora- 
poser  of  Serenade  (for  voices)  Polka  Caprice  and 
a  number  of  anthems  and  hymns. 

GiORZA,  SiGNOB  P.\OLO,  /).  Nov.  11,  18:}",  in 
Milan,  Italy.  This  distinguished  artist  entered 
the  Koyal  tlonservatory  of  Music  at  Milan  at  the 
age  of  eleven,  from  which  he  graduated  in  due 
course  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  He  was  the  son 
of  a  painter,  Luigi  Giorza;  for  eight  years  was 
assistant  Musical  Director  of  the  Royal  Theater 
of  La  Scala;  he  composed  music  for  fifty  grand 
ballets;  is  the  author  of  a  large  number  of  great 
compositions  for  solo,  duetts,  trios,  etc.;  is  now 
teaching  at  the  Metropolitan  Conservatory  of 
New  York. 

Glovek,  Edwin  VV.,  6,  April  3, 186-2,  Coshocton, 
Ohio:  r.  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  e.  College  of  Music; 
graduated  in  1883.  Mr.  Glover  took  the  Springer 
gold  medal  in  ISSJ,  and  the  following  year  he 
became  a  member  of  the  facidty  of  the  College  of 
Music,  where  he  has  remained  ever  since;  he  i8 
organist  and  director  of  the  choir  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church ;  studied  with  Doerner  and 
Whiting, 

GooDELL,  Hattie  8.,  6.  Oct.  12,  18f  2,  Mazeppa, 
Minn.;  r.  Spencer,  Iowa;  c.  New  England  Con- 
servatory. Teacher  of  voice,  piano,  piano  tun- 
ing; head  of  music  department  of  Spencer  Pre- 
paratory Institute. 

Graxinoer.  Chas.  a.,  6.  Jan.  2,  1861,  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio;  r.  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  e.  College  of 
Music  of  Cincinnati;  graduated  in  1881.  Teacher 
of  piano.  Conductor  of  the  Choral  Societies  in 
Glendale,  Ohio;  organist  of  St.  Paul's  M.  E. 
Chnrch;  teacher  in  the  College  of  Music. 

Gbimwood,  Emma,  b.  18.56,  Rossville.  Iowa;  r, 
Indipendence,  Iowa;  «.  Dnbuque  Conservatory 
and  Bnrlingt<  n  Music  School.  An  active  worker 
in  the  Iowa  Music  Teachers'  Association :  teacher 
of  musical  theory  and  history,  piano,  and  music 
in  the  public  schools. 

Grundy,  Clara  Loijise,  b.  Plainfield.  Mill 
Co.,  N.  Y.,  Oct.  28,  I8ti8:  was  a  pupil  of  Professor 
Shafer,  of  the  Koscovitz  School  for  some  four 
years;  now  engaged  in  teaching  voice,  organ  and 
piano. 

Hahn,  Emil,  b.  Sept.  1854,  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 
Studied  under  Otto  Behr  of  that  city.  Later 
resumed  studies  at  Leij)sic  Conservatory.  Held 
position  as  organist  at  the  German  Catholic 
Church  in  his  native  place  from  his  fourteenth 
to  his  sixteenth  year.  He  has  written  an  operetta 
and  quite  a  number  of  good  songs,  also  instru- 
mental compositions  for  i>iano,  one  of  which 
(The  Forest  Flower  Waltzes)  he  dedicated  by 
permission,  to  Mrs.  Grover  Cleveland.  At  present 
resides  in  Burlington,  Iowa. 

Hamer  Georoe  Frederick,  b  1862,  in  Law- 
rence. Mass.  Graduate  of  Royal  .\cademy  of 
Music,  at  Munich.  Germany.  Is  now  engaged  in 
teaching  piano,  organ  and  composition  at  Law- 
rence- Organist  of  Trinity  Church.  Author  of 
several  songs,  church  services,  piano  pieces;  an 
overture  in  C.  Minor  for  small  orchestra  and  an 
overture  in  E.  Minor  for  large  orchestra. 

Hammond,  Ben  Tabor,  b.  Jan.  18,  1846,  Worces- 
ter. Mass  ,  /-.  Worcester,  Mass  Ba.ss  singer  and 
teacher  of  singing,  educated  under  Lyman  Whee- 
ler, San  Giovanni  and  others.  Mr.  Hammond  has 
been  mem ber  of  various  concert  companies,  and 


was  solo  bass  at  the  Worcester  Festival  for  several, 
years.  Since  1886  has  devoted  himself  almost, 
exclusively  to  teaching,  for  which  Ida  wide  expe- 
rience unusually  well  qualities  him. 

Hanchett,  Henry  G.,  b.  August  2!i,  18.')3,  e.  un- 
der various  private  teachers,  and  afterwards  in 
medicine,  which  profession  he  finally  pursued. 
As  a  pianist  aad  teacher  of  piano,  he  was  active 
from  about  1876  to  1884.  During  that  time  he 
attained  a  large  reputation  as  concert  pianist, 
and  as  director  of  various  musical  societies  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York.  Dr.  Hanchett  is  one  of  the 
most  intelligent  musicians  in  this  country,  and 
has  written  many  brilliant  essays  upon  musical 
subjects. 

Hanchett,  M.  W.  Inventor  of  the  "Sostennto" 
or  "Tone-Sustaining  Pedal  "  for  the  piano-forte, 
the  first  successful  and  comi)lete  appliance  for 
tlie  purpose  ever  produced,  and  now  used  with 
great  satisfaction  by  piano  artists.  He  was  born 
in  Hartford  Co  ,  Conn.,  and  resident  of  the  city  of 
Syracuse,  N.  Y-,  where  for  many  years  he  was 
conductor  of  music  and  organist.  He  is  father 
of  Dr.  H.  G-  Hanchett  of  New  York,  well  known 
among  leading  musical  artisis  and  at  whose  sug- 
gestion the  "  Sostenuto  Pedal  "  was  produced. 

H  ANNUM.  Lewis.  In  1876,  Mr.  Hannum  became 
interested  in  violin  making,  in  consequence  of  a 
visit  to  his  brother  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  who  was 
engaged  in  this  work.  From  that  time,  he  occu- 
pied himself  with  making  violins,  and  within 
the  last  eight  or  ten  years  of  his  life,  made  a  few 
of  a  high  order,  one  of  which  was  played  for 
manv  years  by  Prof.  Schultz  of  the  Mendelssohn 
Quintette  Club;  d.  about  1884. 

Habkins.  Thomas  E..  6.  Feb.  28,  1837,  in 
Philadelphia.  Pa.;  r.  Philadeli)hia  until  1882, 
since  which  time  he  has  lived  in  New  York.  Mr. 
Harkins  was  educated  as  a  Catholic  singer  and 
director  of  church  music.  Has  also  distinguished 
himself  as  the  manager  of  mammoth  concerts  at 
the  Academy  of  Music.  For  seven  years  he  was 
president  of  the  Musical  Union,  and  in  Is72  was 
president  of  the  National  Musical  Union.  He 
has  been  director  of  several  important  choirs. 
Mr.  Harkins  has  distinguished  himself  by  his 
efforts  for  the  elevation  of  the  intisical  profession 

Hartmann,  Herman  H.,  b.  March  22nd,  18.59 
Beantimore,  Wis.:  r.  Boston,  Ma-ss.;  f.  at  New 
England  Conservator^',  from  which  he  graduated 
in  18751,  afterwards  beinK. teacher  of  the  violin  in 
the  Conservatorj-  for  eight  years,  and  for  three 
seasons  a  member  of  the  Boston  Symphony  or- 
chestra. 

Harris  J.  Floyd,  6.  July  5th,  1866,  Almant, 
Mich.;  r.  .\lmant,  Mich.;  e.  in  Detroit.  Success- 
ful teacher  of  the  piano  at  Port  Huron,  Mich. 

Havens,  Chas.  Arthur,  b.  June  2;5rd,  1842,  Es- 
sex, N.Y.;r.  Chicago,  111.  This  distinguished  con- 
cert organist,  teacher,  choir  <lirector  and  musical 
composer,  has  resided  for  twenty-five  years  in 
Chicago,  during  all  of  which  time  he  has  occu- 
pied prominent  and  honorable  positions.  .\t  the 
present  time  is  organist  of  the  Second  Presby- 
terian church.  .\monK  his  c<)rai>ositi<ms  are  up- 
wards of  forty  musical  services  which  have  been 
published  in  fine  style  by  the  best  nuhlishere. 
These  works  are  gracefully  and  fluently  written, 
and  have  been  sung  with  high  appreciation  by 
many  of  the  best  choirs  in  the  country.  As  con- 
cert organist,  Mr.  Havens  is  well  known  through- 
out the  west,  his  technique  being  extremely 
smooth  and  thorough.  He  hasa  well  appoiIlt^a 
two  Manual  Organ  in  a  small  music  hall  con- 
nected with  his  house  on  Vernon  ave.  Hnre  is 
liis  studio  where  he  receives  his  pui)ils  and  gives 
recitals.  His  choirs  at  the  Second  Presbyterian 
church,  where  he  has  been  director  for  eight 
years,  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  city. 


707 


Haveskehke  von,  Andbew,  h.  Aug.  31, 1854,  New 
York;  )•.  Pella,  Iowa:  c.  at  the  Conservatory  at 
Antwerp,  unilor  the  direction  of  the  distinguished 
musician,  Kenoit.  Is  now  the  musical  director  of 
Cox  Light  Infantry  Hand;  a  company  of  twenty, 
four  musicians  mostly  from  Holland,  one  of  the 
best  bands  in  Iowa.  Teacher  of  violin,  liarinouy 
and  composition.  Is  the  author  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  compositions  for  military  band,  written 
originally  for  his  own  use.  Mr.  Haveskerke  is 
one  of  the  few  fully  qualified  representatives  of 
the  celebrated  Flemish  School  of  Musicians  in 
this  country,  the  same  that  has  produced  l)eberiot 
and  Vieuxtemps.  Owing  to  his  labors,  the 
standard  of  band  music  has  entirely  changed  in 
that  part  of  Iowa,  where  he  lives,  and  it  is  pleasant 
to  know  that  his  distingnishedjervicesare  highly 
appreciated  by  intelligent  musicians,  as  well  as 
the  public  generally. 

H.wwooD,  Alfred  Joseph,  6.  Oct.  ist.  1860, 
at  Dayton,  ()hio;  r.  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Successful 
teacher  of  piano,  organ  and  singing. 

Henninges,  Beinhold  E.,  b.  1836,  at  Halle, 
Prussia.  Came  to  this  country  thirty  years  ago, 
and  has  been  actively  enjjaged  since  then  as 
teacher,  coiniioser  and  director  of  choral  so- 
cieties. For  the  last  twenty  years  of  the  time  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  Among  his  compositions,  which 
reach  the  Opus  No.  lOO,  are  one  comic  opera. 
Larks,  or  the  Ilaunte'l  Nook.  Cantata  Sprinq. 
Many  etudes  and  miscellaneous  pieces  for  jiiano- 
forte.  also  songs  and  a  practical  quUle  for  teach- 
ers and  pupils  of  the  piano.  Mr.  Henninges  is 
one  of  the  most  talented  composers  in  this  coun- 
try, his  work  being  melodious  and  pleasing  to  a 
degree.  As  a  teacher  he  is  very  distinguished. 
Two  of  Mr.  Henninges'  children  have  distin- 
guished themselves,  Dora  and  William. 

Henninoes,  Miss  Dor.\,  /).  1800,  at  Mansfield. 
Ohio.  Daughter  of  K.  E.  Henninges.  Moved  to 
Cleveland  when  eight  years  old,  receiving  her  early 
training  at  home.  She  later  studied  at  Cincinnati 
College  o£  Music,  of  which  institution  she  is  a 
graduate.  After  tilling  many  engagements  in  all 
parts  of  the  United  States  in  concert  and  oratorio, 
and  having  sung  in  the  principal  cities  Beetho- 
ven's "Fidelio"  under  Mapleson,  she  went  to 
Paris  •  for  a  course  of  study  under  Madam  La 
Grange.  After  returning  from  Europe,  she  has 
been  actively  engaged  as  an  operatic,  concert  and 
church  singer,  as  well  as  teacher.  Miss  Hennin- 
ges has  a  verj;  large  dramatic  soprano  voice,  and 
as  a  festival  singer  has  unusual  claims  for  atten- 
tion. 

Henninoes,  Willi.ui,  6. 1866,  Mansfield,  Ohio: 
came  with  liis  parents  to  Cleveland  when  one 
year  old;  after  graduating  in  the  higli  school 
went  to  Leipsic  and  Dresden  lloyal  Conserva- 
tory; after  three  years'  study,  returned  to  this 
country  and  is  now  tilling  the  position  of  Direct- 
or of  Music  at  Whitworth  College,  Brookliaven, 
Miss.;  he  is  well  known  as  one  of  the  best  inter- 
preters of  a  high  cl.i>^s  of  (ierman  Liedcr  and  also 
a  good  pianist  Mr.  Henninges  is  a  son  of  R.  E. 
Henninges. 

Hennino,  Rudolph,  b.  Oct.  20.  1845;  r.  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.;  c.  at  Leipsic  Conservatory,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1864,  his  specialties  being 
piano  and  violincello;  from  18T2  to  187!l.  he  was 
the  solo  'cello  in  the  Thomas  Orchestra;  has 
been  a  member  of  the  Mendelssolm  Quintette 
Club,  of  Boston,  and  is  well  known  throughout 
the  country  as  one  of  th(>  finest  performers  on 
this  beautiful  instrument;  at  the  present  time  is 
connected  with  the  Philadelphia  Musical  Acad- 
emy, of  which  he  was  one  of  the  founders  in  con- 
nection with  Mr.  John  Himmelshach. 

Hebsey,  Lvnn  E.,  b.  July  'Jfl,  18<«,  at  Brighton, 
Ohio;  r.  Bloomington,  111.;  e.  at  Royal  Conserv- 


atory, Leipsic,  Germany;  teacher  of  violin,  viola 
and  ensemble  playing  in  the  Bloomington  Con- 
servatory of  Music;  formerly  had  charge  of  the 
violin  dejiartment  of  the  School  of  Music  at 
Eureka,  111.,  and  also  of  tlie  Wesleyan  College  of 
music  at  Bloomington,  111. 

Hetlich,  Eliz.xbeth,  b.  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio; 
r.  Cmciunati;  concert  soprano  anci  oratorio 
singer  and  teacher  of  the  voice;  Miss  Hetlich, 
after  studying  with  the  best  teachers  of  Cincin- 
nati, went  to  Germany  for  lessons  of  Frau 
Schultzen  Von  Asten  and  Professor  Julius  Stock- 
hausen.  She  has  sung  at  two  of  the  Cincinnati 
May  Festivals  and  at  many  important  concerts 
and  festivals  in  other  parts  of  the  country;  is 
now  teacher  of  the  voice  in  Cincinnati  and  at 
Oxford,  Ohio. 

Hoffmann,  Kich.\bd,  b  May  24th,  1831,  in  Man- 
chester. England.  Came  to  the  United  States  in 
1847.  This  distinguished  pianist,  teacher  and 
composer  has  occupied  a  high  place  in  New 
York  and  American  music  generally,  for  more 
than  forty  years.  His  professional  clientele 
has  been  of  an  exceptionally  tine  order,  and 
for  many  years  he  was  the  only  pianist  of  a 
high  class  in  New  York.  Although  he  has  been 
heard  in  public  not  frequently  of  late  years,  Mr. 
Hoffmann  is  still  an  elegant  and  finished  player. 
He  is  the  author  of  more  than  100  compositions, 
consisting  of  piano  pieces,  many  of  which  have 
been  extremely  popular,  songs  and  church 
music.  His  style  of  writing  is  clear  and  ele- 
gant. 

Hoffmann,  Aug.Wm.,  6.  July  26 1866,  Karlsruhe, 
Baden,  Germany:  r.  St.  Louis,  Mo.;f.  at  Royal 
Conservatory  of  Music  at  Stuttgart,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1882,  having  been  private  pupil 
of  V.  Lachner  and  W.  Kalliwoda.  His  main  in- 
strument is  the  piano,  but  is  also  teacher  of  har. 
mony  and  composition  in  the  Beethoven  (Conser- 
vatory of  Music.  Is  the  author  of  a  considerable 
number  of  dances  played  by  Gilmore's  band  and 
other  orchestras,  also  of  piano  pieces,  etc. 

Hoffmann,  Phil'p,  b.  .July  9,  1823,  Hassloch. 
Germany;  r.  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  e.  for  teacher  and 
fro  twelve  years  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  Ger- 
many. Upon  coming  to  Americain  1853  he  became 
piano  teacher  at  various  J'emale  Collepes. 
Located  at  Cincinnati  in  1864,  since  which  time 
has  been  exclusively  engaged  as  teacher  of 
Iiiano. 

Howard  Frank,  6.  Nov.  12th,  1823,  England; 
»•.  Boston,  Mass.;  c.  at  Bristol,  England,  under 
James  Montrie,  organ  and  piano  and  voice  under 
John  Lockey,  of  St.  Pauls,  London.  Was  organ- 
ist at  King's  Chapel,  Boston,  from  1849  to  1865. 
is  author  of  numerous  compositions  for  the 
church,  also  songs  and  piano  pieces.  In  1880  he 
retired  from  musical  life,  and  is  now  living  at  his 
country  home  at  Duxbury.  Mass.  Mr.  Howard 
occupied  an  important  and  honorable  position 
in  music  for  many  years. 

Hunt,  G.  W.,  b.  Jan.  4th,  1854,  near  Ionia, 
Mich.;p.  in  Chicago,  and  at  Painesville,  Ohio,  and 
later  with  Mason  and  Sternberg.  Teacher  of  piano, 
organ  and  theory.  Since  IS-fJ,  resided  at  Erie,  Pa., 
where  he  has  performed  a  very  important  work  as 
teacher  and  exponent  of  the  highest  c-lass  of 
music.  Is  the  author  of  a  number  of  songs  and 
t>iano  pieces  which  have  been  highly  praised. 

Hull,  Mrs.  Julia  C,  t,.  in  Attica,  N.  Y..  about 
1810.  She  came  of  a  musical  family,  and  at  an 
early  ago  possessed  a  remarkable  large  and  fully 
developed  soprano  voice.  She  was  put  upon  the 
ccmcert  stage  when  scarcely  more  than  eleven 
yearsold.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  she  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  woman  of  twenty,  and  having  an  ■ 
extremely  large  dramatic  soprano  voice,  which 
under  proper  cidtivation  would  have  made  her 


70S 


one  of  the  great  artists  of  the  world.  After  sev- 
eral years  of  this  kiud  of  work,  during  which  she 
■was  the  principal  support  of  a  large  family,  slio 
found  means  to  go  to  New  York  to  study  with 
George  J.  Webb.  She  afterward  became  a  mag- 
nificent oratorio  and  church  singer.  For  several 
years  held  extremely  honorable  positions  in  New 
York  City.  Is  now  jirincinal  of  the  Musical  Con- 
servatory at  Meadville,  Pa.  In  many  respects 
Mrs.  Hull's  voice  resembled  that  of  the  great 
Pareppa-Kosa,  being  full,  rich,  musical  and 
highly  expressive. 

Jkrvis,  Peblee  v.,  6.  March  Iflth,  1858,  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  r.  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  e,  under 
Dr.  Wm.  Mason,  Mrs.  Agnes  Morgan,  of  New 
York,  and  Theory  with  Mr.  Dudley  IJuck.  Com- 
menced teacliing  the  piano  and  theory  in  1883. 
Teacherof  the  piano  and  also  a  concert  pianist. 

Johnson,  GusxAvtrs,  b.  Nov.  2d,  1856,  in  Hull, 
England.  /•,  Minneapolis,  Minn,  e,  in  Stock- 
holm, Sweden,  under  Lindstrom,  Wmge,  Nord- 
gnist  and  Mankell.  Author  of  numerous  pieces 
for  the  piano,  anthems  and  chamber  music. 

JuNKEKMANN,  GusT.  F.,  (>.  Dec.  8th,  1830, 
in  Bielefeld,  Germany,  e.  under  private  teach- 
ers, anumg  whom  was  Lortzing,  the  celebrated 
composer.  He  played  in  an  orchestra  at  the  age 
twelve  years.  Came  to  America  while  still  young, 
and  for  many  years  resided  in  Cincinnati,  where 
he  is  teacher  of  instrumental  and  vocal  music. 
For  several  years  was  superintendent  of  music  in 
the  public  schools,  and  is  the  author  of  a  number 
of  text  books  for  school  use.  In  addition  to  his 
musical  activity  as  an  orchestral  musician  and  as 
teacher  of  music,  Mr.  Junkermann  is  also  a  regu- 
lar teacher  of  literary  branches  and  of  languages, 
and  priucipjil  of  public  schools  in  Cincinnati. 

Kaiseh,  Mark,  b.  Feb.  ■-'■,'nd,  1855,  in  New  Or- 
leans, e.  at  the  Paris  Conservatory.  Foreign 
teacher  being  Charles  Dancla.  He  was  sent  to 
Paris  when  he  was  young,  and  througli  tlie  patron- 
age of  Mr.  John  Slidell,  was  introduced  to  Pa- 
risian audiences  as  a  solo  player.  His  talent  was 
highly  spoken  of  by  his  teachers.  Upon  his  return 
to  America,  he  was  offered  an  engagement  at 
Cincinnati,  but  returned  to  the  city  of  his  birth, 
where  he  holds  an  honorable  position  as  teacher 
an<l  concert  violinist. 

Kennett,  William  Warben,  b.  Oct.  28th,  1863, 
in  La  Crosse,  Wis.  c.  College  of  Music,  Cincin- 
nati, gaining  the  Springer  metal  in  1881,  and 
graduating.  Since  occupied  as  teacher  in  the 
college.  Is  a  very  fine  chorus  accompanist  and 
organist. 

KiNSEy,  J.  F.,  b.  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  March22nd, 
1852.  This  highly  vigorous  and  energetic  business 
man's  education  was  received  at  country  singing 
schools,  and  afterwards  from  Geo.  F.  IJoot,  Carl 
Zerrahn,  P.  P,  Bliss  and  others,  .\fter  holding  a 
number  of  positions  as  principal  of  the  Music 
department  in  large  seminaries.  Jlr.  Kinsey 
located  at  LaFayette,  Ind.,  and  commenced  the 
publicatiim  of  tlie  "Echo,"  a  musical  journal, 
and  has  built  a  very  large  music  publishing  busi- 
ne.ss  there.  He  has  a  complete  printing  office 
and  bindery,  and  some  of  his  singing  books  sell 
by  the  hundreds  and  thousands.  He  isone  of  the 
most  remarkable  successors  as  a  i)opular  musical 
editor,  composer  and  publisher  of  tlie  present 
time. 

Klinck,  Mel.  b.  Sept.  25th,  1866.  in  Princeville, 
111.,  r.  Conway  Springs,  Kansas;  e.  under  private 
teachers.  Cornet  soloist  and  bandmaster.  Mr. 
Klinck's  specialty  is  solo  playing. 

Knioht.  Howard  W.,  b.  August  .Slst,  1S58,  in 
Saco,  Me.;  e.  with  Herman  Kotzschmar  of  Port- 
lanil.    Teacher  of  pinno  in  Saco,  Me. 

KoNBAD,  Wm.,  b.  Nov.  Ist,  1869,  at  Fnlton,  111. 


e.  under  Fischer,  Fehl  and  S.  E.  Jacobsohn.  Made 
his  dehut  at  the  ago  of  thirteen.  Fir^t  theatrical 
engagement  at  lifteen.  Played  first  violin  at 
.\cademy  of  Music  since  spring  <)f  18S1I;  first  violin 
at  .Jacob's  Clark  St.  Theatre  since  Oct.  27.  Sjie- 
cialties,  violin  and  zither.  Teaclier  of  violin  at 
the  Western  Musical  Academy.  Author  of 
"Largo"  for  string  quartette  and  duett  for  zither 
and  piano. 

Krebs  The().  Ldther,  b.  .\ug.  3rd,  1860.  in 
Hrookfield,  Ohio.  Began  the  study  of  music  at 
an  early  age,  and  after  having  been  instructed  by 
some  of  the  most  eminent  teachers  in  tliis  coun- 
try, went  ti)  Li'ipsii-,  Germany,  in  18"9,  where  he 
studied  under  Miiiis,  Keiiiecke,  Kichter  and  others. 
After  his  return  to  America,  he  removed  to  Home, 
Gu.,  in  1884,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  Music 
Department  of  the  Home  Female  College.  Two 
years  later,  accepted  a  i)ositiou  at  Noble  Institute. 
Anniston.  Ala.  and  is  at  present  in  charge  of  tlie 
music  department  of  that  College.  Mr.  Krebs 
has  been  very  succe.ssful  in  raising  the  standard 
of  Musical  taste  in  the  region  where  he  lives.  He 
has  now  an  orchestra  of  twenty  young  lady  ama- 
teurs who  play  many  standard  overtures.  Is  the 
author  of  numerous  works  for  piano  and  voice; 
also  of  a  treati^e  on  theory,  a  biography  of  Bee. 
tlioven,  a  popular  "Musical  Game"  etc. 

Krever,  Fred'k,  b.  Feb.  4th,  1854,  in  Rot- 
leben,  (iermany;  >-.  Maijuoketa,  Iowa;  r.  Kelbra 
S.  O.  M.  and  graduated  in  IStW.  Teacher  of  piano 
and  band  instruments.  Author  of  Overture 
"Friendship",  Waltz  "Dreams  of  Home"  and 
several  other  compositions. 

Kronbero.  S.,  *.  18511  in  Russia,  e.  under  varioas 
teachers  in  Europe,  inclu<ling  Sabrina  Dow;  c. 
Boston,  where  he  is  well  known  as  a  concert  and 
oratoi  io  singer  and  teacher.  His  voice  is  a  bari- 
tone t)f  unusual  compass  running  from  low  E  to 
high  B  Flat. 

Kurtz,  Blanche,  6.  Dec.  20th,  1864  in  Attica, 
Ohio;  r.  Geneseo,  111.  e.  under  Amy  Fay  and  .\. 
M.  Straus.    Successful  teacher  of  piano. 

Kurtz,  Joseph  H.,  /-.  1852,  in  Lancaster.  Ohio; 
)•.  Geneseo,  111.  e.  with  Frederick  W.  Root  and 
Signor  Ernesto  Baldanza.  Teacher  of  voice  cul- 
ture and  music  in  public  schools.  Is  also  a  tenor 
soloist. 

KtJNKEL,  Chas.,  b.  July  22nd,  1840,  at  Sip. 
persfeld,  in  the  Rheinpfalz.  Came  to  this  Country 
in  1849  when  only  nine  years  of  age.  <■.  under  his 
father,  Thalberg  and  Gottschalk.  Removed  to 
St.  Louis  in  1^68  and  engageti  in  the  music  basi- 
ness.  Is  a  pianist  of  high  rank,  and  author  of 
numerous  compositions;  r.  in  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

Lachmund,  Ernest,  b.  Jan.  24,  1S65,  in  Lyons, 
Iowa.  Began  the  study  of  music  at  theage  of  six, 
when  he  received  instruction  on  the  piano  from 
liis  brother  Carl.  In  1880  he  entered  the  Cologne 
Conservatory  for  the  purpose  of  learning  the 
'cello.  After  remaining  there  one  year,  he  went 
to  Berlin  and  studied  with  Hausmann  at  the 
Royal  High  School  of  Music.  Returned  to 
America  in  1884  and  locatetl  in  IMinneapolis, 
where  he  was  successfully  engage<l  as  teacher  and 
concert  'cellist.  In  1885  he  joincKl  the  Clara 
Louise  Kellogg  Concert  Coin|)any  on  a  short  tour 
as  solo  'cellist.  Also  appeared  in  concerts  with 
Marianne  Brandt  and  other  artists.  Returned 
to  Europe  in  ISST  and  remained  until  l'<S!i.  study, 
ing  compositiim  and  counterpart  with  Jadas.-*ohn 
and  'cello  with  .Vlwin  Schroe<ler.  .Among  his 
compositions  may  be  mentioned  "Christinas 
Suite"  for  string  orchestra;  (played  in  Minnea- 
polis) a  sonata  for  'cello  and  piano;  a  ballad 
"Vesper')  and  other  songs  and  piano  composi- 
tions: r.  in  ^linneapolis. 

Lacza  Francesco,  b.  Italy;  e.  under  Paolo  Ci- 


709 


marola,  Cavalier  G.  Crcscentini  in  sincing;  F. 
Kug^iand  Cav.  8.  Mercadaiite  in  harmony  and 
composition.  Came  to  Amorica  in  18.'i4  and  sang 
in  several  concerts  with  SontjiK  and  Parodi. 
Bince  that  time  has  taught  singing  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia. 

Lapetina,  F.  M.,  b.  1858  in  Naples,  Italy.  «.  in 
violin  and  mandolin  under  private  teachers  in 
Italy;  r.  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  wliere  he  is  i)romi- 
nently  occupied  as  teacher  oi  the  violin  and 
mandolin.  Was  first  violin  in  a  grand  opera 
company.  Author  of  mandolin  method,  and  a 
large  number  of  compositions  for  mandolin  and 
violin. 

Lavalley,  J.  J.,  6.  June  15,  18.50,  in  Canton,  N. 
Y.  e.  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.  A  natural  musician. 
Plays  many  instrument.  Occupies  himself  in 
giving  public  concerts  upon  a  variety  of  instru- 
ments, and  is  also  a  piano  tuner. 

Lavton,  Mrs.  R.  Gates,  b.  1852,  in  Lowell, 
Mass.  ('.  Boston  Conservatory,  from  which  she 
graduated  in  1869; )-.  Virginia,  Nevada  as  teacher 
of  instrumental  music  and  singing. 

Leavitt,  Miss  Amy  C,  b.  18.58,  in  Boston. 
Graduated  from  the  New  England  Conservatory 
in  1878,  in  piano,  organ,  and  harmony.  Since 
1879,  resides  in  Washington,  1).  C  where  she  is 
prominently  engaged  as  a  concert  singer,  teacher 
and  organist. 

Kboeoer,  Ernest  Richaed.  (j.  August  10,1862, 
in  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  e.  with  Froehlich,  Malmene. 
Spiering,  Charles  Kunkel,  and  W.  Golduer  of 
Paris.  Author  of  a  large  number  of  pleasing  and 
brilliant  piano  pieces,  songs,  chamber  music  and 
orchestral  work.  A  very  clever  and  pleasing 
writer. 

Leonard,  Hattie  J.,  b.  Jan.  20, 1858,  in  De- 
troit, Mich.  e.  under  Silas  G.  Pratt  at  Chicago, 
Karl  Klindworth  of  Berlin,  Otto  Fierch,  Berlin. 
From  1878  to  1881,  was  teacher  of  piano  in  Chi- 
cago. From  '81  to  '85  had  charge  ot  piano  depart- 
ment Cornell  Conservatory.  Spent  two  years  in 
Germany,  and  located  in  New  York  in  1887,  where 
sheis  prominently  engaged  as  piano  teacher  and 
concert  pianist. 

Leonhabd,  Hugo.  A  pianist,  graduate  from 
theLeipsic  Conservatory,  who  came  to  Boston 
1856.  Did  much  to  inspire  interest  in  tlic  works 
of  Schumann  and  Beethoven.  Became  mentally 
deranged  and  died  while  a  young  man  in  1879. 

Levy,  Jules,  b.  about  IMD,  First  appeared  as 
soloist  in  I860,  at  Convent  Garden.  London, 
since  when  he  has  become  known  all  over  the 
world.  Was  for  many  years  a  resident  of  New 
York.  His  playing  is  famous  for  speed,  facility, 
ease  and  purity  of  tone.  Is  the  author  of  a  con- 
siderable number  of  arrangements  for  the  cornet. 

Lewis,  Miss  Alt.ie  May,  b.  M.  28, 18.59,  in  Des 
Moines,  Iowa;  r.  Washington,  Iowa;  c.  under  pri- 
vate teachers.  Teacher  of  piano,  organ,  harmony 
and  guitar. 

Logan,  Virginia  Knight,  c.  Chicago  Musical 
College  and  in  various  other  institutions.  Teachor 
of  singing  and  concert  soprano.  Miss  Logan  was 
connected  witli  the  Natioual  Opera  during  its 
career  under  Theodore  Thomas.  Her  voice  is 
very  high  and  well  cultivated. 

I.lDDEN,  Wm.,  b.  May  19,  182.3,  in  Williams- 
burg. Mass.  (iraduati'd  from  Yale  College  and 
also  from  medical  department  in  1850.  Studied 
music  in  Boston  will)  Lowell  Mason  and  Geo.  J. 
Webb,  afterward  in  Paris,  Fr.iure,  with  some  of 
the  most  distingnislied  teachers  of  the  voice.  He 
is  the  author  of  a  work  of  voice  culture,  several 
bookn  and  anthems.  Snnday-scliool  Collections, 
one  of  the  best  dictionaries  of  musical  terms 
ever  i)ublished,  and  school  for  the  organ,  etc. 


For  many  years  teacher  of  singing  at  New 
Haven,  and  afterward  in  Chicago.  In  1869  he  re- 
moved to  Savannah,  Ga.,  where  he  founded  a 
Musical  I'ublishing  House,  which  was  very  suc- 
cessful, and  is  now  doing  business  as  the  Ludden 
&  Bates  Southern  Music  House.  Mr.  Ludden 
resides  at  present  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  he  having 
retired  from  the  active  control  of  the  business. 

Ldtkin,  Peteb  C,  b.  March  27,  1858,  in  Racine, 
Wis.  Began  his  musical  education  as  choir  boy 
under  Canon  Knowles,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
became  organist.  Was  educated  in  Berlin,  Vien- 
na and  Paris.  )•.  in  Chicago,  as  organist,  choir 
master  and  teacher  of  piano,  orgjin  theory  and 
composition.  Is  the  author  of  a  considerable 
number  of  songs,  church  compositions,  concerted 
music,  etc.  Mr.  Lutkin  has  been  connected  with 
vested  choirs  'rom  their  incipiency  in  the  West. 

MacDonald.  William,  b.  at  Providence,  R.  I. 
>•.  Lawrence,  Kan.  e.  New  England  Conservatory 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1884;  Dean  of  De- 
partment of  Music.  University  of  Kansas.  Mr. 
Macdonald  was  efficient  in  promoting  the  organi- 
zation in  Kansas  State  Teachers'  Association,  of 
which  he  has  been  three  times  elected  president; 
b.  about  1804. 

Magbath,  George,  b.  Oct.  15  1857,  in  New 
York;  r.  Cincinnati,  Ohio;  c  Stuttgart  Con- 
servatory, from  which  he  graduated  in  1877;  since 
1883  principal  of  piano  department  in  Miss 
Baur's  Conservatory;  concert  pianist  and  teacher 
of  piano. 

Malmquist,  Emile,  b.  Aug.  10,  1857,  in  Stock- 
holm, Sweden;  r.  New  Orleans,  La.;  e.  Conserv- 
atory of  Sweden,  from  which  he  graduated  fn 
18T2;  teacher  of  piano  and  organ;  organist  and 
choirmaster  of  Grace  Church,  New  Orleans; 
studied  later  linder  Prof.  Mankell  and  Kapel- 
meister  L.  Norman. 

Manchestee,  Arthtje  L.,  6.  in  New  Jersey, 
Feb.  9,  1862;  r.  Clarion,  Pa.  e.  under  F.  J.  Bnss- 
man,  of  Milan;  teacher  of  piano,  organ,  voice 
training  and  theory.  Mr.  Manchester  is  one  of 
the  most  successful  teachers  in  that  part  of  the 
country.  In  188J  was  married  to  Miss  Alice 
Oneal,  of  Beaver,  Pa.  Mrs.  Manchestsr  has  a 
highly  cultivated  soprano  voice,  of  pure  quality, 
and  has  been  very  successful  as  a  concert  singer. 

Maestelles.  G.  Herman,  b.  Feb.  16,  1865,  in 
Schmalken,  Germany;  r.  Dayton,  Ohio.  Teacher 
of  violin  and  concertmaster  at  concerts;  was 
educated  at  the  Royal  High  School  of  Berlin, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1881. 

Marston,  Geo.  W.,  6.  May  23,  1840,  in  Sand- 
wich, Mass.:  r.  Portland.  Me.  e.  in  Munich. 
Florence  and  London.  Teacher  of  piano  and 
harmony;  has  publised  album  of  German  songs. 
Anthems,  Te  Deum  and  piano  pieces. 

Martin,  Carl  E.,  /*.  about  1847.  Eminent  basso 
of  Oratorio  and  Concerts.  Mr.  Martin  a  resident 
of  Chicago,  where  he  made  many  appearances 
with  the  Beethoven  Society-  Now  resident  in 
New  York,  where  he  has  a  large  busine'^s  and  a 
remunerative  position  in  Church. 

Martin,  8.  Wesley,  b.  Jan.  20th,  1839,  in  Plain- 
field,  III.;  r.  San  .To.se,  Cal.  Teacher  of  voice  cul- 
ture and'  singing,  harmcmy,  counterpoint  and 
musical  composition;  chorus  conducting.  Author 
of  nearly  100  slieet  music  .songs  and  quartettes. 
Is  also  author  of  music  books.  The  Festival 
Chimes,  1863;  The  Cluster,  1873:  The  Welcome 
Hour,  1877  and  many  compositions  contributed  to 
works  of  other  authors.  His  first  musical  com- 
position appeared  in  New  York  when  he  was  fif- 
teen years  of  age.  Was  for  many  years  employed 
in  conducting  musical  conventions,  mostly  in 
Illinois  and  the  adjoining  States.  Was  associate- 
principal  of  JIarliii  Stillman  and  Towne's  Nor- 
mal Music  School  for  some  years. 


710 


Mathias,  Louis, /).  August  iiiul,  l*2ii.  inTiefen- 
bach.  (ierraan.v.  Has  tauglit  in  Toledo.  Oliio, 
thirty-seven  years.  Has  also  manufactured  a 
number  of  violins  in  his  leisure  time. 

Mattiolt.  Lino.  b.  August  21st,  1S.")S.  in  Parma. 
e.  at  the  Parni  i  Koyal  Music  Scho.l,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  ISti!)  in  'cello  and  voice.  Among 
his  compositions  are  "Habanera,"  for  'cello; 
"Barcarolle"  for  piano  and  "Gavotte"  for  string 
quartette;  r  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  as  a  teacher  in  the 
College  of  Music. 

Maxoon,  Fuederick,  6.  June  13th,  1?62,  in 
Beverly,  N.  J.;  c.  umler  D  D.Wood.  Admitted  as 
associate  of  the  A.  C.  M.  1S89.  Teacher  of  piano, 
organ  and  harmony.  Author  of  a  considerable 
number  of  church  services.  Orjjanist  of  Central 
Congregational  Church  of  Philadelphia  since 
1884. 

May,  W.m.  kva..  h.  Dec.  9th,  IS.in,  in  Lacka- 
waxen,  Pa.;  )■.  Montclair,  N.  .J.  _e.  under 
various  private  tenchers.  Teacher  of  singing  and 
director  of  choirs  and  classes.  Is  the  author  of  a 
considerable  number  of  soags  and  hymns. 

McDowELi,,  B.  M.,  /).  May  -t;,  184),  in  Pittsburg, 
Pa.  e.  under  vocal  teach"rs  and  afterwards  with  Dr. 
Eugene  Thayerof  New  York.  Located  inBarnes- 
vilie,  Ohio,  in  187i  from  whence  he  removed  in 
1S^4  to  Cambridge.  Ohio,  whose  he  now  livi's,  and 
where  he  carries  on  a  very  successful  business  as 
teacher  of  piano  and  theory.  Is  the  author  of 
various  popular  pieces. 

Medorn.Wilhei  m  H.  O.,  6.  June  5. 1833,  in  Ber- 
lin, Germany;  c.  Pelhamville,  N.  Y.  e.  Church 
Music  Institution,  Berlin,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated after  live  years'  study  in  IS"!  r.  Teacher  of 
piano,  organ  anil  composition.  Amon'.;  his 
compositions  are  preludes  and  fugues  for  the  or- 
gan, and  for  piano  and  organ,  also  quite  a  uum- 
ber  of  brilliant  piano  pieces. 

Meuriam,  F.  VV„  b.  August  20,  1843,  at  Prince- 
ton, .Mass.  e.  in  this  C"untry  and  a'  Lei|>sic. 
He  was  a  pui>il  of  Louis  Plaidy.  Teacher  of 
the  piano,  ami  good  pinnist.  Principal  of  music 
department  of  Hamline  University.  Mr.  Merriam 
is  one  of  the  best  qualified  and  most  competent 
musical  educators  in  the  Northwest. 

Mettke,  Hans,  b.  July  31,  IS.ifi,  in  Betsche,  Posen, 
f.  uuder  superior  private  teach-re  in  Germany 
and.Xmeiica.  Located  in  Ohio  in  1882.  In  1884 
removed  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  where  for  two 
years  he  was  actively  engagod  as  teacher  ami  or- 
chestral player.  In  1-8^*  removed  co  New  Jersey, 
where  he  has  been  very  successful  in  forming  or- 
chestras, training  choruses,  etc.  ('ompi)ser  of 
numerous  cempositions  for  voice,  piano  and  or- 
clv  stra.  Has  written  letters  on  musical  history 
and  articles  for  inusicil  j  ■urnals.  In  every  res- 
pect has  shown  himself  an  active  and  true  musi- 
cian. 

Miller,  Hettie  L.,  fc.  Dec.  2d,  18M,  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.  )•  Aurora,  111.  e.  under  private 
teachers,  (iraduated  in  1883  from  the  Ko};al 
Academy  of  Music,  Lond<m,  England.  Pianist 
and  teacher  of  piano. 

MisciiKA,  .Joseph,  b.  May  8th.  184t5,  in  Herman- 
miestetz,  Bohemia,  e.  under  private  teachers  at 
Buffido.  where  he  has  establishe<l  himself  in  an 
honorable  position.  Is  organist  of  Delaware  ave. 
JI.  v..  Cliurch,  Temple  Beth  Zion:  director  of 
Buffalo  Vocal  Society.  Buffalo  Lie<lertafel,  and 
(each'^r  of  music  in  Buffalo  State  Normal  School. 
Has  be»n  assistant  director  with  Theodore  Thomas 
in  the  Buffalo  Musical  Festivals.  The  Liedertafel 
has  taken  |>-izes  at  the  Saengerfest  for  best  sing- 
ing under  Mr.  Mischka's  direction. 

MoHR,  Hermann,  b.  Octoln'r  nth.  18,30  in  Nien- 
stndt,  Germany,  c.  Koyal  Church  Music  Institute, 
Berlin,  from  which  he  graduated  in  18o,").  Engaged 


in  Piano,  organ,  composition  and  chorus  singing. 
Was  formerly  director  of  the  Mohn  Conservatory 
in  Berlin.  Mr.  Mohr  is  the  author  of  comi>osi- 
tiims  for  piano  and  string  instrumenis,  piano 
alone,  Saengerchor,  Saengerchor  with  orchestra 
and  solo,  compositions  for  mixed  chorus,  for 
female  voices  and  songs  for  solo  voices.  Is  also 
the  author  of  an  opera  "  Uer  Orakelspruch.''  Mr. 
Mohr  is  one  of  the  most  versatile  and  accom- 
plished composers  resident  in  America. 

Moore,  Edwin,  b.  Sept  2.").  18:57,  nt  Hacken- 
sack,  N.  J.  r.  Yonkers,  N.  Y.  «.  mainly  under 
priv  ite  teachers,  also  with  Lowell  Mason  and 
George  F.  Root.  In  18.9  was  pupil  of  Bassini  in 
singing,  .\uthor  of  singing-school  music,  tem- 
perance songs,  etc. 

Moore,  Judson  L..  b.  Sept.  12,  1857,  in  Bethle- 
hem, Ga.  e.  IIS  a  singing  teacher,  and  in  1887  be- 
gan as  a  teacher  of  voice;  was  8elf-"ducated  in 
theory;  is  the  author  of  a  considerable  amount  of 
Sunday-school  and  singing  class  music. 

Morse,  Frank  Euo.,  b.  Bradfonl,  Mass..  Nov. 
10.  18  )t);  r.  at  Auburndale,  Mass..  where  i  n- 
gaged  as  teacher  of  vocal  music  in  Conservatory 
and  Wellesly  College,  School  of  Music,  ("om- 
pileraiid  pub'isher  of  the  Musicians'  Calendar 
for  1888-1889  and  1890. 

Mount  AtTBDRN  Institute,  h,  Cincinnati.  Ohio, 
H.  Thane  Miller.  President.  This  institution  for 
the  higher  education  of  youn'^i  ladi'  s  has  always 
maintained  n  large  musica!  department  in  charge 
of  teachers  of  exceptional  ability.  Many  artistic 
recitals  are  given. 

MuNDY,  Mrs.  Fannie  Coi.vin.  b.  in  Rochester, 
N.  Y.  e.  with  Benjamin  Hill,  Herve  D.  Wilkins 
and  S.  N.  Peiifield.  Teicherof  piano,  voice  and 
guitar.  Mrs.  Munday  hsus  been  very  succ  ssful  in 
raising  the  standard  of  musical  appreciation  and 
taste  at  the  institutions  with  which  she  has  been 
connected.  She  is  a  very  earnest  musical  educa- 
tor. 

MURCH,  HAMltfOND,  ft.  186.5,  in  WilIiams()ort. 
Pa;  r.  Burlington,  Iowa;  e.  College  of  Music  of 
Cincinnati,  Oliio.    Teacher  of  violin  and  piano. 

Myer.  ED.MUND  J..  ').  Jan.  ".il,  York  Springs, 
Pa.  r.  New  York,  N.  \.  Teacher  of  voice  culture 
and  singing;  author  of  various  works  on  the 
princii)al  use  of  the  voice. 

Nelson,  Mrs.  Clark  Touiijke,  b.  .July  7th, 
18ii3.  in  East  Greenwhich,  R.  I.;  r.  Boston.  Mass. 
e.  New  England  Conservatory,  from  which  she 
graduated  in  1884.  Teacher  of  vice  at  the  New 
England  Conservatory,  and  concert  and  charch 
soprano  soloist. 

Nemb.\ch,  Andrew,  6.  June  29.  1839,  in  Bavaria 
Germany,  e.  under  Gustav  Schilling.  Teacher  of 
piano,  organ  and  theory.  Author  of  various  con- 
cert overtures  for  orchestra,  cimcert  overture 
Spring,  etc.;  r.  Cincinnati,  wh'  re  for  twi'uty- 
seven  years  he  has  occupied  prouiinent  and  hon- 
orable positions  as  organist  of  various  churches, 
synagogues  ;iiid  masonic  organizations.  Is  direc- 
tor ol  the  Wcslwood  Choral  Society,  and  the  Cin- 
cinnati Double  Quartette, 

NoRCROss,  Webster,  b.  April  9th.  18">.'),  in  Bos- 
ton, Mass.  Now  resides  in  Knglanil,  as  the  lead- 
ing bas^o  prof  undo  of  the  Carl  Rosa  England 
Opera  Company,  c.  at  Worcest.T,  Mass.,  and 
Stockhausen.  (iermany. 

Oboyski  Florian,  b.  Warsaw,  Poland,  .\pril  ill, 
184t>.  Is  teacher  of  piano  and  conductor  of  musical 
societies.  Came  to  .\merica  in  l'^'i'2.  Has  organiz- 
e<l  several  sinking  societies;  r.  Patr-rs'in.  N.  .1. 
and  director  of  Pater-on  Philharmimic.  and 
from  1884  to  18.H7  din'ctor  ol  I'litcrson  Musical 
Union.  From  1888  in  faculty  of  the  New  York 
Musical  CoUege. 


OoDEN  W.  Augustine,  b.  Htl,  Franklin  County, 
Ohio;  e.  under  private  teaclier».  Teaclier  of 
voice  culture,  and  music  in  the  public  hcIiooIs. 
He  was  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Lowell  Mason,  Dr.  Tliomas 
Hastiuis  and  Prof.  Benjamin  F.  Haker.  Author 
of  a  considerable  number  of  Sunday  Scliool 
Singint!  Hooks  and  works  for  classes  and  musi- 
cal conventions.  Mr.  Ogden  belons^s  to  the 
younger  class  of  musical  convention  directors. 

Oldu\m,  Herbert,  6.  March  1st,  1853,  in  Dublin, 
Irehind:  e.  Trinity  College.  Dublin,  and  the 
Koval  Acailemy  of  Music  at  Loudon.  Was  also 
pupil  of  Joachim  Huff.  Teacher  of  piano. organ, 
voice  and  harmony,  .\uthor  of  several  composi- 
tions for  the  voice,  pianoforte  and  organ. 

Olin,  Nora  L..  6.  Jan.  18th,  18i9,  in  Waukesha, 
Wis.;  e.  Chicago  Musical  College  and  under 
private  teachers.  Teacher  of  music  in  public 
schools  in  Waukesha,  Wis. 

OuRUS,  Mrs.  L.  S.,  I>.  Nov.  25th,  1856,  Monticello, 
Ind.;  '■.  Wesleyan  Female  College,  Cincinnati, 
under  Arthur  Mees  and  George  Magrath.  After 
teacliini;  in  Tennessee  for  two  years,  removed  to 
Monticello,  Ind.,  where  she  now  resides. 

P.\CKARD,  ADErAiDE  LuELLA,  b.  La  Porte, 
Ind.;  e.  Oberlin,  Hillsilale,  Mich,  and  Washington 
i).  C.  Was  also  a  pupil  of  Eiuil  Liebling,  Prin. 
cipal  of  the  piano  department  of  the  Musical 
Conservatory,  De  Pauw  College.  Formerly  resi- 
dent of  Chicago  for  six  years. 

Pai-tenghi,  p.  Edward,  b.  June  25th,  1868,  in 
New  York  City.  Since  1886,  ha<  been  engaged  as 
t-acher  of  piano  in  New  York  City. 

Payne,  Levi  Waiter.  ').  Nov.  iSth,  1858,  in 
Coldwater,  Ohio;  r.  Fort  Scott,  Kan.;  e.  Dana 
Mu-'ical  Institute,  Warren,  Oluo.  Band  and  vocal 
teacher. 

Perkins,  Edwin  Hazen,  b.  Stockbridge,  Vt., 
Sept.  2-*.  1840.  Suc'-essful  teacher  of  singing. 
Tauglit  in  Vermont,  and  Massacliusetts.  Author 
of  several  compositions. 

Perkins.  Jui.es  E..  b.  Stockbridge,  Vt..  March 
19,  1S45.  Married  Marie  Roze  in  1874  in  London; 
d.'in  Manchester,  England.  Feb.  .jtli,  1875.  In 
1>67  he  studied  under  M  Delle  Sadie.  After  that 
studied  under  the  best  Italian  masters  for  five 
years.  Made  his  debut  in  1869  with  great  success. 
iVIr.  Perkins'  repertoire  was  extensive,  including 
many  great  operas.  His  voice  wms  a  bass  of 
great  capacity,  of  fine  quality  and  excellently 
cultivated 

Perkins,  Colonel  Orson,  6.  Hartland,  Vt., 
Dec.  17,  I'Xl-J;  was  a  successful  singing  class 
teaclier  for  forty  years,  and  a  conspicuous  choris- 
ter; also  a  composer  of  church  music,  d.  Tafts- 
yille,  Vt.,  April  17,  1882. 

Perkins.  William  Oscar,  b.  Stockbridge,  Vt.. 
May  2i,  1831.  Studied  music  in  Boston,  and 
taught  voire  and  harmony  for  many  years;  author 
of  a  large  numlier  of  singing  books.  Now  a  resi- 
dent of  New  York  City. 

Peters.  B.  F..  b.  Sept.  4.  1843,  in  Corydon, 
Ind.  e.  Boston  Music  School,  under  tlie  direc- 
tion of  B.  F.  Baker:  for  last  nine  years  has  been 
prominently  en.'aged  as  a  director  of  musical 
societies  in  Dubuque,  Iowa. 

Pierce,  Edwin  Hall  6.  Dec  25,  1868,  in  Au- 
burn, N.  Y.:  r.  llipon.  Wis.:  pupil  of  Prof.  I.  V. 
Flagler  and  Henri  Appi:  teacher  of  piano-forte, 
organ  and  theory;  is  director  of  the  School  of 
Music  at  Uipon  College;  author  of  numerous 
compositions  for  the  piano. 

Pi.att,  Charles  S.,  6, 1846,  in  Newtown,  Conn. ; 
e.  Leipsic  Conservatory.  Teacher  of  piano-forte 
on<l  harmony;  author  of  a  number  of  pieces  for 
tlie  piano. 


Pare,  Nathaniel  Clifford,  b.  Oct.  2ii,  1866,  in 
San  Francisco,  Cal.;  e.  under  private  tejichers. 
Especially  distinguished  in  orchestraticm  and 
composition.  Author  of  serio-comic  opera  "The 
First  Lieutenant,"  which  ran  for  a  season  at  the 
Tivoli  Opera  House  during  May,  18«9.  Also 
author  of  about  twenty  songs  and  several  or- 
chestral pieces. 

Page,  Isaac  Thos.,  6.  Aug.  20,1843,  in  Defiance 
county,  Oliio;  e.  Boston.  Teacher  of  class  singing 
and  conductor  of  musical  conventions.  Author 
of  a  number  of  songs  and  antliems  and  pieces  for 
churcli  music. 

Parker.  Geo.  Albert,  b.  Sept.  Slst,  1856,  in 
Kewanee,  111.;  e.  under  Clarence  Eddy  and  Fred- 
eric Grant  Gleason  of  ('liieago,  and  at  the  Uf«yal 
Conservatory  at  Stuttgart.  Returning  to  America 
in  1882,  became  instructor  of  music  at  Syracuse 
University,  and  in  1883  was  made  Professor  of 
piano  and  organ,  where  he  still  is  one  of  the 
most  active  and  able  of  American  musical  educa- 
tors. 

Pfefferkorn,  Otto,  6. 1863  in  Germany;  r.  Den- 
ver, Colorado,  e.  Boston  University  and  New  Eng- 
land Conservatory,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
188.5.  Pianist;  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  com- 
positions of  chamber  music,  piano  pieces,  etc. 
Director  of  music  in  the  University  of  Denver. 

Plowe,  Eugene  H..  b.  May  17,  1851,  in  Wads- 
worth,  Ohio.  e.  under  A.  R.  Parsons,  piano,  and 
Carlo  Bassini,  voice.  Teacher  of  piano,  voic=< 
culture  and  theory.  Conductor  of  choruses  and 
orchestras.  The  director  of  the  Peoria  chorus 
whicli  has  given  many  oratorio  works. 

Pratt,  Waldo  Selden,  6,  Nov.  lU,  18.57at  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.;  )•.  Hartford,  Conn.;  e.  Williams 
College,  1878,  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Fellow 
one  year.  Prof,  of  Sacred  Music  and  Hymno- 
logy  in  Hartford  Theological  Seminary  since 
1882.  Voice,  organ,  theory  and  history.  Has  held 
many  positions  of  honor  and  prominence.  He  is 
one  of  the  clearest  writers  upon  the  subject  of 
music  that  we  have  in  America.  Is  chairman  of 
the  Church  Music  Committee  of  the  M.  T.  N.  A. 
He  lias  also  presented  some  very  important  re- 
ports. 

QuiMBY,  Helen  Sherwood,  6.  Dec.  26,  1870,  in 
Rochester,  N.;  e.  Nansemond  Seminary  from 
which  she  graduated  in  1S88.  Teacher  of  violin 
and  piano;  r.  Suffolk,  Va. 

Rankin,  Frank  L.,  b.  June  22nd,  1863,  in  Hiram, 
Me.;  r.  Portland,  Me.;  e.  under  Stanaty  and  San- 
cier,  Paris.  Teacher  of  iiiano.  Church  organist. 
Author  of  two  anthems,  and  some  church  inusic. 

Rkinbeck,  E.,  b.  1850,  in  Hamburg,  Germany; 
e.  Stuttgart  Conservatory,  afterwards  with  Wil- 
liam Mason.  Engaged  as  teacher  in  New  York 
for  the  past  fifteen  years,  nine  years  at  the  New 
York  Conservatory,  four  years  at  the  New  York 
College  of  Music. 

Reinbeck,  Mrs.  E.,  b.  1863,  in  Lille,  France;  e. 
A.  Jaell,  Paris  and  August©  Dupant,  Bruxelles;  j-. 
New  York,  as  pianist. 

Ring,  Ejul,  b.  Nov.  2lst,  1863,  in  Fetchen.  Aus- 
tria; r.  Cleveland,  Ohio;  e.  C(mservatory  in  Prague 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1883.  Conchictor  of 
the  Philharmonic  Orchestra  of  Cleveland  al.so  of 
the  Cleveland  Gesangverein.  Pianist  and  teacher 
at  the  Conservatory  of  Music. 

RovcH,  J.  Henry,  b.  Feb.  11,  1868,  in  Catoosa 
Co.,  <ia.;  e.  under  Prof.  S.  M  Roach.  Teacher 
of  singing.  Very  active  in  Northern  Georgia, 
having  large  singing  classes  over  quite  a  large 
region  of  country  adjacent  to  his  residence,  Ring- 
gold, Ga, 


712 


BOBBKTS,  J.  HENBy,  6.  Aug.  5th  1856,  in  Pitts, 
ton.  Pa.;  r.  Cleveland,  Ohio;  e.  Beaver  College 
and  ilusical  Institute  in  Beaver,  Pa.  Concert 
pianist  and  instructor  in  vocal  music,  piano  and 
organ 

Rogers,  J.  H.,  e.  in  Berlin  and  Paris  under 
Liescliliorn,  Haupt,  Guilmant  and  Widor.  For 
past  nine  years,  teacher  of  music  at  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Author  ot  a  number  of  songs  and  compo- 
sitions. 

RosENFELD,  Matjrice,  BERNARD,  ft.Vienna,  Aus- 
tria, Dhc.  81st,  ISB.i.  Pianist.  Teacher  in  Chicago 
Musical  College.  Commenced  to  study  piano  at 
the  age  of  nine  with  a  pupil  of  Wollenhaupt. 
Also  studieil  with  August  Hyllested,  Louis  Falk 
and  Adolph  Knelling  Graduated  in  188S,  gaining 
first  prize.  \V.  \V.  Kimball,  Gold  Medal  and  ftrst 
prize  in  ls89,  N.  K.  Fairbank,  Gold  Medal  for 
best  pianist.  Composer  of  numerous  piecesfor 
piano,  violin  and  string  instruments. 

RisEWALD,  J.  H.,  b.  1873,  in  Baltimore,  Md-; 
e.  with  Edmund  Singer,  Royal  Concertmeister  at 
Stuttgart,  in  violin.  Returned  to  Baltimore  and 
served  as  conce  t  master  at  the  Peabody  Institute. 
Traveled  thn-e  seasons  with  Gerster,  Marie  Hoze 
and  Madam  Materna  as  solo  violinist.  Was  con- 
ductor of  Emma  Abbott  English  Opera  Company. 
Located  in  San  Francisco  since  1884  as  solo  vio- 
linist and  orchestral  conductor. 

Rowley,  Caroune  D.,  b.  ISijO,  in  Waukegan, 
111.;  '■•  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa;  e.  New  England  Con- 
servatory from  which  she  graduated  in  1885. 
Teacher  of  piano,  harmony  and  pipe  organ. 

RuGGLES,  Joseph  Westlev,  t>.  Dec.  vind,  1857,  in 
Milan,  Ohio;  r.  Fayette,  Iowa;  e.  National  Normal 
Institute,  Jayuesville,  SVis.,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1870.  Teacher  of  piano,  voice  and  har- 
mony. Director  of  Conservatory  School  of  Music 
at  the  Upper  Iowa  University.  Is  the  author  of 
a  number  of  Anthems,  cantatas  and  Sunday 
School  songs.  An  active  and  prominent  musical 
educator. 

Rupp,  Bernhabd  H.,  b.  Jan.  13th.  1817,  in  St. 
Leon,  (Termany;  e.  Stuttgart  Conservatory,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1S71.  Teacher  of  piano, 
organ  and  musical  composition.  Has  been  priri. 
cipal  of  the  music  de!);irtment  in  several  promi- 
nent colleges  and  in  1888  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Music  from  .\drian  College  and  is 
director  of  the  "Concordia"  Singing  Society. 

RussELT..  L.  A.,  b.  18'>4,  in  Newark.  N.  J.  Pianist 
and  organist.  Musical  Director  of  the  Newark 
College  of  Music.  Teacher  of  voice,  piano  and 
theory.  Conductor  of  the  Easton  Pa-  Choral  So- 
ciety and  Cecilian  Chorus,  also  conductor  of  the 
Schubert  Vocal  Society  since  1879.  Composer  of 
a  cantata,  antl  several  pieces  for  piano-forte, 
voice,  orchestra  and  chorus.  Author  of  "How  to 
Read  Music"  etc. 

Ryder,  Geo.  H.,  head  of  a  distinguished  firm 
of  enterprising  and  progressive  organ  build, 
ers,  George  H.  Ryder  &  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. 

S.\WTiER,  Frederick  A.,  b.  July  1.5,  1838,  in  Port- 
land, Me.  e.  under  a  large  number  of  private 
teachers.  Teacher  of  piano,  voice  culture  and 
composition.  Composer  of  numerous  pieces  for 
special  occasions,  but  in  manuscript.  An  active 
teacher. 

Sawyer,  Wii,i,ard,  S^  b.  Sept.  4th,  I860,  in  New 
York  City.  e.  New  York  College  ot  Music.  Teacher 
of  piano  and  violin,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  .\uthor 
of  "Sawyer's  Piano  Students  Practice  Records". 

Sai^t.  Enoch  J.,  b.  April  9,  1857,  in  Covington, 
Ky.;  r.  Portsmouth,  Ohio.  Organist  and  com- 
poser of  several  songs,  church  mu-tic  and  a  sonata 
for  piano.  Mr.  Salt  was  organist  at  tlie  Centen- 
nial Exhibition  in  1876,  where  his  efforts  were 
highly  appreciated. 


S.VLTEB,  Sumner,  h.  June  34th,  1856,  in  Barling- 
ton,  Iowa;  e.  A.  C.  Amherst  College,  and  under 
prominent  teachers  in  Boston.  Author  of  songs, 
church  music,  etc.  Organist  and  director  of  much 
experience. 

Salter,  Mrs.  Mary  Turner,  h.  March  I."),  18.56, 
in  Peoria,  111.  Wife  of  preceding.  A  dramatic  so- 
prano and  teacher  of  singing.  Pupil  of  Mme. 
Rmlersdorff.  Has  held  many  prominent  church 
positicms  in  New  York  and  Boston. 

Schehlmann,  Louis,  b.  Oct.  33nd,  1851,  near 
Spires  on  the  Rhine.  Came  to  this  Country  in 
1872.  Teacher  of  music  and  conductor  ot  Choral 
Clubs  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  from  1873  to  1883. 
Since  18;3  is  conductor  of  Mozart  Association 
and  Concordia  Glee  Club  in  Lynchburg,  Va.  Mr. 
Schehlmann  is  the  composer  of  a  large  number 
of  choruses,  songs  and  piano  pieces,  many  of 
which  have  been  very  successful,  also  a  suite  of 
studies  for  piano. 

Schmidt,  Clifford  Alfred,  b.  Oct.  11. 1863,  in 
San  Francisco,  ('al.^  r.  New  York,  N.  Y.  e.  Royal 
Conservatory  of  Leipsic.  Royal  High  School  of 
Berlin.  Senior  concertmaster  of  the  Metropoli- 
tan Opera  House  and  Anton  Seidl  Orchestra. 
Violinist  of  high  rank.  Mr.  Schmidt  was  also  a 
pupil  of  O  Massart,  Paris,  and  of  Joseph  Joachim, 
Berlin. 

Schneider,  Catherine  and  Augusta,  b.  May- 
ence,  Germany;  r.  Chicago  for  several  years.  Con- 
cert pianists  and  teachers  of  the  piano. 

Schubert.  Christian  John.  ft.  .Tuly  3rd,  1870, 
in  Chicago,  111.  e.  Koyal  Conservatory  in  Munich, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  18S9  after  a  terra  ot 
four  years.  Pianist.  Teacher  ot  the  piano  at 
Western  Musical  .\cademy;  /■.  Hyde  Park,  111. 

Seifert,  Mrs.  M.  J.,  ft.  July  2nd,  1866,  in  Water- 
town,  Wis.  An  accomplished  performer  upon 
the  Zither.  Directress  of  the  Zither  Department 
of  the  Western  Musical  Academy  of  (Chicago. 

Segfried,  Miss  vcn,  ft.  Brazil,  S.  A.  e.  as  a 
singer  under  good  teachers  in  N<-w  York  and 
Carisruhe,  tiermany,  under  Haslacher,  Kalliwoda, 
Lachner  and  others.  Made  debut  in  Carisruhe  in 
1882,  but  returned  to  America  and  is  now  teaching 
at  Hellmuth  College. 

Shelley.  Habby  Rowe,  b.  June  8,  1858,  in  New 
Haven,  Conn.  Mr.  Shellv  is  one  ot  the  most  ac- 
complished and  fluent  composers  of  church  music 
in  this  country.  He  is  a  fine  organist  and  writes 
remarkably  well  for  the  instrument.  Is  the 
author  of  many  pieces  for  church  use,  and  several 
important  works  for  female  chorus,  one  of  which 
gained  the  prize  at  the  Apollo  Club  in  1886.  Pupil 
of  Dudley  Buck. 

Sherwood.  Ret.  M.  A.,  ft.  about  18 W.  Founded 
the  Lyons  Musical  .\cademy,  in  185).  The  au- 
thor of  many  valuable  educational  ideas,  illus- 
trated in  the  success  ot  several  of  his  children 
as  musicians,  the  great  pianist,  Mr.  Wm.  H. 
Sherwood,  being  his  son. 

ScHONERT,  Edwin  M.,  6.  May  9th.  in  Bucyrus, 
Ohio;  r.  New  York,  N.  Y.  e.  under  Joha  Underner- 
tiraduated  in  1885  Pianist.  For  several  years, 
Mr.  Shonert  has  traveled  as  pianist  and  musical 
conductor  in  different  concert  companies.  Was 
engage<l  with  Mme.  .Abbie  Carrington,  Ovide 
Musin,  and  with  Jules  Levy. 

Skklton.  Mrs.  Nellie  Bangs,  ft.  Aug.  1.5th,  1859, 
in  Lacon,  111.  Popular  pianist,  e.  under  .Mme  de 
Roode-Kicp.  .\uthor  of  a  number  of  pleasing 
piano  pieces;  r.  Chicago,  111. 

Skinner,  Oliver  R..  ft.  Feb.  7. 1W4,  in  Lake  Zu- 
rich.  III.:  r.  Bloomington,  111.  •'■  Kullak  Conser, 
vatory,  Berlin,  and  graduato<l  in  1887.  Director 
Bloomington  Conservatory  of  Music.  Teacher  of 
piano  and  theory.   Is  an  able  and  active  musician. 


7'3 


/- 


Smith,  Rev.  8.  F.,  6.  Boston:  eminent  Baptist 
diviuH.  Composed  the  national  hj'mn  "America," 
18-S2,  first  produced  in  July  of  that  year  by  Lowell 
Mason  at  Park  Street  Church. 

8>UTH,  Miss  Leli.\  1.,  h.  Sidney  Plains,  N.  Y. 
r.  Hill»dale.  Mich.  e.  Hillsdale  College  from 
which  shi  graduated  in  June,  189J.  Teacher  o£ 
voice  culture. 

Smith,  Anita  L.,  6.  1886  in  Philadelphia,  Pa.  e. 
Philadelphia  Musical  Academy  from  which  she 
graduated  in  1884.  Pianist  and  teacher  in  Phila. 
delphia.  Pa, 

Sower,  Sarah  C,  6.  Philadelphia,  Pa.;  «.  New 
England  Conservatory  and  PtiiJadelphia  Musi- 
cal Academy.  Teacher  of  piano,  organ  and 
theory. 

Spencer.  Allen  H.,  6.  Oct.  30th,  1870,  in  Fair 
Haven,  Vt.  Pupil  of  Wm.  H.  Sherwood,  and  Edgar 
Sherwood.    Teacher  of  piano  in  Toledo,  Ohio, 

Spengler,  Abr.,  b.  Dec.  31st,  1847,  in  Northamp- 
ton county.  Pa.;  r.  Cleveland,  Ohio.  «.  Leipsic 
Conservatory  from  which  he  graduated  in  1870. 
Teacher  of  piano,  organ  and  theory.  Author  of 
"Spengler's  System  of  Technic." 

Stanley,  A.  A.,  b.  May  23th,  1851,  in  Manville, 
R.  !.;<".  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  later  at  Leipsic, 
his  principal  instrument,  the  organ.  Returning 
to  America  he  tuuglit  in  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
Female  College,  and  then  at  Providence,  R.  I., 
where  he  remained  for  thirteen  years,  occupying 
very  prominent  positions.  In  188S  he  was  made 
instructor  of  music  in  the  Michigan  University 
at  Ann  Arbor,  where  he  now  resides.  Mr.  Stanley 
has  held  many  important  positions  in  connection 
with  the  M.  T.  N.  A.  and  A.  C.  M.,  being  one  of 
the  five  incorporators  of  the  latter.  Is  concert 
organist  of  unusual  ability,  and  a  musical  educa- 
tor of  high  reputation. 

Staats,  Henry  T.,  Jr.,  6.  May  22nd,  1863,  in 
Orange,  Conn.  e.  Royal  Conservatory  at  Leipsic 
from  which  he  graduated  in  188i.  Pupil  of  Dr. 
Maas,  Edmund  Neupert  and  A.  R.  Parsous. 
Teacher  of  piano  and  theory.  Author  of  several 
piano  pieces  and  songs. 

St.\yneb,  Cornelia  T.,  6.  Nov.  2.5th,  18.i8,  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  e.  Milwaukee  School  of  Music, 
under  J.  C.  Filmore.  Graduated  in  1858,  and  ad- 
mitted to  A.  C-  M.  same  year.  Teacher  of  piano- 
forte and  tlieory. 

Steiger,  Emil,  6.  Dec.  22nd,  1860,  in  New  York; 
r.  New  York  city,  N.  Y.;  e.  Grand  Conservatory 
of  Music,  N.  Y.,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1882.  Teacher  of  piano,  harmony  and  conduc- 
tor. 

Stei  ^BRECHER,  FREDERIC  W.,  b.  Jan.  19, 1818,  in 
Beri  n  Germany.  Pupil  of  Chopin  from  1813  to 
1844,  a-id  taught  in  Paris  until  1S4S.  when  he  came 
to  Cincinnati,  where  he  is  still  living.  Probably 
the  only  living  pupil  of  Chopin  in  this  country. 
Author  of  "Tarantelle  Val.se  Mazurka,"  "Set  of 
eight  variations"  concert .  polonaise  for  cornet, 
arranged  for  orchestra  and  a  number  of  waltzes 
and  mazurkas. 

Sterling.  Winthrop  S.,  6.  Nov.  28th,  18.59,  in 
Cincinnati,  Oliio.  e.  Leipsic  Conservatory  from 
wh  cli  he  graduated  in  1886,  and  in  London  with 
E.  H.  Turpin.  Teacher  in  the  College  of  Music 
since  1886. 

Stooker,  Mrs.  Stkli  a  Prince:  6.  Jackson- 
ville, 111.,  1858.  Graduated  from  Illinois  Conser- 
vatory of  Music  in  1876,  and  from  Michigan 
University  in  1880.  Has  also  studied  in  Dresden, 
Germany.  Teacher  of  piano  in  Jacksonville,  111. 
and  in  Duluth,  Minn. 

'  Straub,  S.  W.;  /).  Dec.  2nd,  1842,  in  America.  «. 
nnder  Robert  Goldbeck,  Wm.  Mason,  Carlo  Bas- 
sini  and  Carl  Zerrahn.     Musical  author  and  pub- 


lisher and  conductor  of  musical  conventions. 
Teacher  of  Normal  [School.  Mr.  Straub  by  his 
own  energy  has  made  himself  a  leader  for  a  large 
circle  of  singers  and  musical  students  throughout 
the  Middle  Western  states.  Editor  of  the  "'Song 
Friend". 

Stradb,  Andrew  Marcus,  6.  June  19, 1855.  e. 
St.  Francis  Musical  College,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1874,  in  piano  and  violin.  Composer 
of  several  overtures,  and  leader  of  the  Grand 
Opera  House  Orchestra.  Mr.  Straub  holds  several 
other  prominent  positions  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio. 

Strong,  Nellie  C,  b.  Rockford,  111.  e.  Bee- 
thoven Conservatory,  St.  Louis.  Studied  with 
Goldbeck,  Weidenbach,  Lapperitz,  Reinecke  and 
Liszt,  in  Germany.  Graduated  from  Leipsic  Con- 
servatory in  1881,  gaining  a  prize.  Taught  piano 
for  seven  years  at  the  Beethoven  Conservatory, 
and  has  now  private  music  rooms,  where  she  gives 
frequent  recitals  and  lectures.  A  very  successful 
teacher. 

ScFTON,  E.  M.,  6.  Oct.  9,  1859,  in  Mount  Auburn, 
Iowa:  e.  New  England  Conservatory,  and  under 
Messrs.  Sherwood.  Maas  and  Thayer.  Painstaking 
teacher  of  piano  and  theory  at  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa. 

StTLLiVAN,  T.  J.,  6,  Nov.  30th,  1846;  in  London, 
England:  /'.  Cincinnati.  Ohio;  e.  with  Signor  Al- 
fisi.  Prof.  Rivide  and  Carlberg  of  New  York. 
Vocalist  and  teacher  of  Toice  culture  in  Cincin. 
nati  since  1878. 

Sdtro,  Mrs.  Florence  C.,  b.  May  1st,  1865, 
in  London,  England.  Pupil  of  Dr.  Wm. 
Ma«on  and  Dudley  Buck.  Graduated  from  Con- 
servatory of  Music  of  New  York,  in  1888.  Concert 
pianist.  Composer  of  several  songs  and  pieces: 
r.  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Swan,  Allen  Webster,  6.  June  20th,  1852,  in 
Dorchester,  Boston,  e.  New  England  Conserva- 
tory, from  which  he  graduated  in  1S7W,  also  Bos- 
ton University.  Teacher  of  organ,  piano-forte 
and  harmony.  Concert  organist  and  chorus  con- 
ductor. 

Topper,  Thos.  Jr.,  6.  Cauton,  Mass.  A 
writer,  pianist  and  composer  and  teacher  of 
piano,  theory  and  musical  composition.  Among 
his  works  are  various  pieces  for  piano,  a  suite 
in  E.  major :  a.  Tocatia  in  F.;  aFairy  Dance 
for  wood,  wind  and  horn,  and  a  Transcrip- 
tion for  full  Orchestra  of  Schumann's  "Etudes 
S!/»i])lioiiiques''''  Also  a  Translation  of  CamiUe 
Stamaty's  text  book,  (Le  Rliymthme  des 
doigts);and  two  Translations  from  the  Danish. 
He  is  the  author  of  a  volume  of  essays  "Chats 
witli  Music  Students,"  and  examiner  in  the  Amer- 
ican College  of  Musicians. 

Taylor,  Virgil  Coryden,  6.  April  2nd,  1817, 
in  Parkhamsted,  Conn.;  r.  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
Composer,  director  and  voice  training.  Author 
of  sixteen  music  works.  Held  musical  conven- 
tions from  1850  to  1877,  throughout  the  Country. 

Trenkle,  Joseph.  A  young  pianist  who  came 
from  Germany  about  1859.  Active  in  promoting 
musical  interest  in  Boston  and  aftt^-rward  in  ban 
Francisco,  where  he  died  Nov.  10,  ls78. 

Tam,  Alice  Miller,  b.  1817.  in  Bellefontaine, 
Ohio.  e.  under  private  teaches.  CommenciMl 
teaching  at  the  age  of  ^urteen.  and  hns  heen 
active  ever  since.  Is  also  a  writer  of  prose  .-ind 
poet  ry . 

TETEDorx  Clement,  b.  1.827,  in  Paris,  France. 
Studied  with  Luigi  Piccioli  for  three  years,  and 
with  Revial.  Paris  for  two  years.  Fouude<l  the 
Gounod  Club  in  Pittsburgh  and  prochicod  the 
master  pieces  of  Handel,  Hayden,  Mendelssohn, 
etc.  etc.  .\lso  many  leading  operas  in  1874  and- 
1878.  Mr.  Tetedoux  has  a  wide-spread  reputation 


.7«4 


as  a  conductor  of  vocal  works.  Has  studietl  with 
some  of  the  greatest  masters  of  Europe  and  is  now 
a  vocal  teacher. 

Thomas,  JoH>f  R.,  b.  1830,  in  Newport,  South 
WnJes.  Came  to  the  United  States  at  an  early 
age.  Was  connected  with  the  Sequin  English 
Opera  Company.  Finally  settled  in  New  York 
where  he  still  is.  Mr.  Thomas  is  chiefly  noted  for 
his  songs,  which  ace  very  numerous  and  popular. 
He  is  a  clear  and  fluent  writer. 

Thomas,  Clara  E.,  6.  St.  Paul,  Minn..  Feb.  7, 
1862.  Studieti  piano  from  her  fourth  year.  En- 
tered the  Beethoven  Conservatory  under  the  tiii- 
tioij  of  Schilling.  Later  on  she  went  to  Europe 
to  tiuish  her  stmlies  in  piano  and  voice.  Sang  in 
many  operas,  taking  the  leading  parts  and  met 
with  great  success,  all  over  Europe.  Slie  has  a 
be  utiful  soprano  voice  noted  for  its  pure  intona- 
tion and  brilliant  upper  notes.  Mrs.  Thonjs  is 
al.<o  a  brilliant  pianist,  her  playing  being  highly 
appreciated  wherever  she  appears. 

TOBRENS,  L.  A.,  6.  April  10th,  184.S,  in  Bangor, 
Me.  Condiictor  and  teacher  of  voice  culture  in 
Toledo,  Ohio.  Is  also  director  of  Toledo  Conser- 
vatory of  Music,  also  of  Festivals  and  Choruses. 

Tract,  Mrs.  Jas.  M.,  6,  May,  1863,  in  Frank- 
lin, Mass.;  e.  Dean  Academy,  from  which  she 
graduated  in  188.!i.  Is  a  very  successful  teacher 
and  concert  player  in  Boston. 

Tbemain,  Anna,  6.  Oct.  15th,  18.57,  in  Bucyrus, 
Ohio;  )•.  Newton,  Iowa;  e.  under  private  teachers 
and  at  Conservatory  at  Grinnell,  Iowa.  Success- 
ful teacher  of  piano. 

Tretbar,  Charles  F.,  b.  Feb.  13th,  1832,  in 
Brunswii:k,Germany,  where  his  father,  the  clari- 
onet virtuoso  was  attached  to  the  Ducal  Orches- 
tra. At  an  early  age,  he  evinced  musical  talent 
which  was  carefully  cultivated  up  to  his  four- 
teenth year,  when  in  consequence  of  an  accident 
to  one  of  his  hands,  he  entered  upon  a  mercantile 
career.  From  ISltj  to  IH'yi,  he  resided  in  Leipsic. 
At  the  end  of  the  latter  year  h^  preferred  to  emi- 
grate to  America  Rither  tlian  be  drafted  into  the 
army.  Since  January  W>'\  Mr.  Tretbar  has  been 
connected  with  Steinway  &  Sons,  of  New  York. 

Tretbar.  Helen  D.    b.  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.    Is  a 

fraduat''  of  the  Female  Academy  of  that  city, 
'or  years  has  been  contributor  to  several  of  the 
leading  musical  Journals  of  the  Country  and  is 
also  the  translator  of  Louis  Elilert's  Essays  enti- 
tled "From  the  Tone  World"  and  of  the  hbrettas 
of  Nessler's  "Trumpeter  of  Lakkingen":  Weber's 
"Sylvana";  Kiel's  "Christus"  and  innumerable 
songs  from  the  German,  French  and  Italian. 

Ukussenzkhn,  William,  b.  June  5th,  IS.W, 
in  Dayton,  Ohio;  e.  College  of  Music,  Cincinnati, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1888.  Engaged  in 
violin,  organ,  piano  and  composition.  Author  of 
a  concert  ovirture,  "Symphony  Kociusko"  and 
several  piano  compositions.  Organist  at  St.  Pe- 
ter's Cathedral;  r.  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Van  Ness.  Mrs.  Keoina  B.,  b.  Sept.  34, 1858.  in 
Wauke.sha,  Wis.:c.  Upper  Iowa  University.  So- 
I)rauo  singer.  Well  known  as  a  concert  singer  in 
Iowa  and  .Minnesota;  ?-.  Maquoketa,  Iowa. 

Vermii.ye,  Josephine  E,  Ware.  6>  June  Ist, 
IStW,  in  Boston,  Ma.ss.;  e.  under  Payne,  Sherwood, 
Liszt.  J.  H.  Wheeler  and  8.  B.  Whitney.  Concert 
pianist  and  teacher  of  piano.    Is  very  successful. 

VxNiNO,  Helen  Sherwood,  b.  July  4th,  1855, 
in  Brooklyn.  N.  Y.  c.  under  private  teachers. 
Author  of  a  Piano  Primer  and  several  works  of 
instruction. 

Von  der  Heide,  John  Frederick,  b.  Feb. 
18")5,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  e.  Knllak  .\cademy,  in 
Berlin.    Graduated   in   1882.    Teacher   of   voice 


training  and  piano  playing  at  the  New  York  ('on- 
servatory  of  Music.  Author  of  songs  and  sketches 
for  piano. 

Waldner,  Adqubt,  b.  Jan.  6th,  1828,in  Landau, 
Germany.  Pupil  of  Molique  at  Stuttgart.  Arrived 
in  America  in  18-14  where  for  a  number  of  years 
traveled  as  solo  violinist.  Direct<>r  of  Beethoven 
Conservatory  of  Music,  St.  Louis.  One  of  the 
best  known  musical  educators  in  the  West. 

Warren,  Henbt  C,  b.  Nov.  26th,  IS'iS,  Killing- 
ly.  Conn.  r.  Danielsonville,  Conn.  Teacher  of 
piano,  organ  and  theory  for  sixteen  years. 

Webem,  Adam.  ft.  Aug.  VMh  1831,  in  Cincinnati. 
Ohio.  ('.  private  teachers.  Conductor  of  orchestra 
at  Heuclc's  Opera  House.  Manager  of  Weber's 
Military  Band,  etc. 

John  C.  Weber,  6.  Sept.  23, 1856,  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  Clarionet  soloist,  and  musical  director. 
Has  occupied  many  prominent  positions,  r.  Cin- 
cinnati. 

Weioand,  Louis  A.,  b.  Oct.  23rd,  18>fi.  in  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  e.  private  teachers.  Violin  in- 
structor for  eight  years.  First  violin  in  orchestra, 
Heuck's  Opera  House,  Cincinnati. 

Werthner,  Philip,  b.  May  srth,  1858,  in  Bara- 
boo.  Wis.  e.  under  Scharwenka,  of  Berlin.  Grad- 
uated in  1886.    Piano  teacher  in  Cincinnati. 

Westendobf,  Thomas  P.,  b.  Feb.  23rd,  1848, 
in  Bowling  Green,  V.  c,  in  Chicago,  under  private 
teachers.  Teacher  of  singing  and  brass  bands. 
Com|)08er  of  about  four  hundred  vocal  and  in- 
strumental pieces:  r.  Pontiac,  lU. 

Wilbur,  Newell  L.,  h.  Aug.  2nd,  1851,  in 
Providence,  U.  I.  e.  Greenwich,  and  Providence, 
H.  I.  Graduated  in  ISTO.  Church  organist.  Also 
teaciierot  piano,  theory  and  organ  in  Providence. 

WiLKiNS.  U\RY  K.,  ').  Dec.  27,  ISliS.  in  Milton, 
Pa.  e.  Rocktord  Seminary,  from  which  she  grad- 
uated in  1888  Church  and  concert  organist;  r. 
Rockford,  lU. 

WiLLl.\MS,  Victor,  b.  August  13th,  1816,  in 
Stockholm.  Sweden.  One  of  the  most  eminent 
teachers  iu  Cincinnati,  where  he  has  resided  for 
fifty  years,  and  lias  led  the  unmo  choir  during  that 
entire  time.  For  twenty-two  years  taught  music 
in  the  Public  Schools.  Has  been  conductor  of 
various  societies. 

Wilson,  Jas.  H.,  b.  Feb.  f24tli.  1843,  in 
Newport,  R.  I.  e.  Leipsic  Conservatory,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  18t>8.  Pifinist  and  teacher 
of  singing.  .Vuthor  of  numerous  pieces  for  piano; 
r.  Newport.  H.  I. 

Wood,  Albert  Demain.  ft.  .August  18,  1860 
in  Denmark.  Iowa.  r.  Oskaloosa.  Iowa.  e.  Wooil 
Conservatory.  Teacher  of  piano,  violin,  guitar 
and  harmony. 

WooDHEAD.  Mary  Skelton,  ft.  Burlington, 
Iowa,  Oct.  15th.  1867.  e.  Chicago  Musical  College. 
Is  professional  balla<l  singer  and  makes  a 
specialty  of  Scotch  ballads. 

Woolett.  Wilfred,  b.  187"2.  in  .Janesville.  Wis. 
e.  under  promin-nt  teachers.  Teacher  of  violin 
in  the  Woolet  School  of  Musie,  Chicago.  III. 

Wolff  S.  A.,  ft.  Feb.  8th,  IHiil,  near  Abbotttown, 
Pa.  c.  under  private  teachers.  Since  1886  Musical 
director  of  Gaston  CloUege,  at  Dallas,  N.  C. 

YOUNO,  Edw.\KD  M.,  6.  May  21st,  1857,  in  San 
Francisco.  Cal.  e.  Royal  Conservatory  at  Leipsic. 
under  Rheinecke  and  Jadassohn,  from  which  he 
graiiuat<Hl  in  ISTO.  Teacher  of  piano,  harmony, 
counterjioint  and  composition.  Author  of  a  num- 
ber of  pieces  for  piano.  Vice  president  of  the 
California  Music  Teachers'  Association. 


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